Ellen & Jerry Gallagher

The Foundation’s vision is to promote peace and prosperity through education. Our method of doing that is to provide college scholarships to very talented young people in selected developing countries. Education is a natural cause for us to support because we believe that well-educated leaders are the key to a successful future.

In addition to academic achievement reflecting unusual intelligence and ability, we want evidence of leadership potential in the candidates. A high level of ethical values is desired, with each scholar firmly believing that progress can be achieved without violence. Race, gender and religion are not considered as factors in the scholarship selection. Academic majors can be business, education, engineering, history, law, medicine, philosophy, science or technology. In order to have a scholarship renewed, the student must be successful academically, fluent in English and computer literate.

All of the candidates come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The scholarships include tuition, fees, supplies, room and board and necessary expenses. Prior to being selected, each candidate must commit to living and working in their country for the rest of his or her life.

Criteria we use in selecting countries include a democratic government, an excellent university, a developing economy that is strong enough to provide sufficient job opportunities to very talented and well educated young people, a sizable population, laws that promote religious freedom and ban discrimination (religion, race, gender), extensive use of the English language even though it does not need to be an official language, the reality or the promise of a peaceful environment and, finally, a geographic location in a region different than our existing programs.

South Africa was the first country with our original group of scholars starting their freshman year in February 2002.  Mexico was second and Turkey was third where our inaugural scholars began their studies in the fall of 2005.  Being a predominantly Muslim country, Turkey fits with our desire to have diversity in our program.  There remains the possibility we will add additional countries.

We also want diversity within each country. For example, we seek a good balance of males and females.  In addition, students from all sections of a country are preferred along with a mixture of urban, suburban and rural backgrounds.  If there is religious diversity within a country, we would like to have that within our scholar group.

Two candidates are interviewed by Foundation representatives for each available scholar position. In South Africa, Career Wise presents the candidates they have screened while in Mexico and Turkey that job is done by the universities.

Please visit the SOUTH AFRICA, MEXICO and TURKEY sections of this website for information on those programs. Each of our existing scholars is featured in our SCHOLARS’ section.

Our daughter, Megan Prindiville, is doing an excellent job as the administrator of the Foundation.  She works part-time for us while balancing her other responsibilities that include being a wife and the mother of two of our grandchildren.

Prindiville Family