October 2006: On October 11, 2006, NTEU and the Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund (“FEEA”) announced the creation of an endowed college scholarship fund providing annual educational grants for federal families.

The initial contribution to the endowment by NTEU is $726,363 – using remaining administrative funds after payouts to recipients in NTEU’s settlement of a class-action lawsuit against the federal government. The fund will provide, at the start of the 2007 academic year, five annual scholarships of $5,000 each, the highest merit-based scholarships the FEEA awards.

NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley said the timing of the union’s contribution to establish the FEEA-NTEU Scholarship carries special meaning since 2006 marks the 20th year of FEEA’s founding in 1986. NTEU was one of the founders of FEEA. “For two decades, FEEA has broadened the meaning of federal employees making a difference in the lives of their colleagues through merit scholarships to federal workers, their spouses and college-aged children, as well as emergency no-interest loans and grants to those in need,” President Kelley said.

The new FEEA-NTEU Scholarship awards can be combined with local FEEA scholarships to provide recipients with even greater financial resources for their education.