Our Origins & Ongoing Work

Three decades of opening doors

The Mitchell Institute was established in the 1990s to expand access to higher education for Maine students. Over time, the organization has grown into a statewide nonprofit dedicated to supporting students not only through scholarships, but also through sustained academic, career, and personal development programming.

Through experience and evidence-based research, we know that student success depends on more than hard work and financial aid alone. Additional guidance and support during and after college significantly increase the likelihood that students will earn a degree and find meaningful employment. The Institute provides Scholars with a comprehensive set of supports designed to meet students where they are and walk alongside them throughout their journey.

Since its founding, the Institute has awarded more than $23 million in scholarships and continues to invest in programs that support student persistence, completion, and post-college success.

Today, the Mitchell Institute remains focused on its core purpose: supporting students as they pursue education, opportunity, and meaningful futures. That mission belongs to the Scholars we serve and the communities we support, and it continues to guide the Institute as it moves forward.

Our Founder

Senator George J. Mitchell

Waterville, Maine Bowdoin College Georgetown Law U.S. Senate Majority Leader, 1989–1995

Senator George J. Mitchell was born and raised in Waterville, Maine, and is a graduate of Waterville High School, Bowdoin College, and Georgetown University Law Center. He served as United States Attorney and U.S. District Court Judge for Maine. In 1980, he was appointed to the U.S. Senate to complete the term of Senator Edmund S. Muskie, who resigned to become Secretary of State. Elected to a full term in 1982 and reelected in 1988, he left the Senate in 1995 as Majority Leader, a position he had held since January 1989.

Senator Mitchell chaired the Peace Negotiations in Northern Ireland, where the governments of Ireland and the United Kingdom and the political parties of Northern Ireland reached the historic Good Friday peace accord under his leadership. At the request of President Bill Clinton, he chaired an International Fact Finding Committee on Violence in the Middle East, whose recommendations — widely known as The Mitchell Report — were endorsed by the Bush administration, the European Union, and many other governments. In 2009, President Obama appointed him Special Envoy for the Middle East.

Senator Mitchell is the son of immigrants who, though they did not receive formal education, deeply understood the power that education would provide for their children. Although his family was poor, they embraced the American dream — and with the support of scholarships and financial aid, Senator Mitchell and his siblings were all able to go on to college.

While serving in the U.S. Senate, Mitchell spoke at a graduation at every Maine high school at least once. When later asked about his experience with students, he reflected:

“…Over and over again I saw in the students’ eyes and heard in their words mirror images of myself at that age. Enough intelligence to show promise, but often obscured by anxiety and insecurity… At first I thought, ‘I can help these kids.’ Gradually, that changed to ‘I have to help these kids.’ I came to believe that I, who had received so many helping hands, had a duty to use whatever ability I possess to see that no child in Maine who wants to go to college is without a helping hand.”

With a personal knowledge of the importance of higher education, Senator Mitchell established the Mitchell Scholarship Program in 1995 to increase educational opportunity for Maine students. A foundation grant in 1999 enabled him to establish the Mitchell Institute, adding career and personal support programs for Scholars as well as a research component. More than 25 years since the Institute started awarding Scholarships, its mission — and Senator Mitchell’s vision — are more vital to Maine than ever.