NIAF SCHOLARSHIP and GRANT PROGRAMS 1981–2001

Scholarship Program

This program, under Dr. Maria Lombardo's tutelage, grew from $250 scholarships to $10,000 scholarships and an endowment of 1.9 million dollars. In 2001 she brought in 2 contracts of 3.6 million dollars from the Mott Foundation and 1.5 million dollars from the De Francis Scholarship Endowment.

The scholarship program was successful because it was a custom tailored program to carry out the wishes of donors (individuals, organizations, companies) who wanted students of certain regions, geographic areas and who were academically worthy but financially needy. Eventually a community service component was added to the requirements. The Scholarship Review Committee was responsible for the selection of scholarship winners, on a yearly basis. Some of the Scholarship winners were presented to the community at NIAF's Education Luncheon held in conjunction with NIAF's Gala Dinner and at regional local events. Yearly, scholarship monies were raised directly by Dr. Lombardo or indirectly as she helped others to raise scholarship funds since all NIAF events were held to benefit the NIAF Scholarship program. Lombardo initiated the idea of matching scholarship funds with other organizations. One of the first scholarship sponsors was the DeFlavia family. In 1981, Mr. and Mrs. Natale De Flavia of Pennsylvania bequeathed one third of their estate to the NIAF to provide scholarships for needy Italian American students. Mr. DeFlavia made this provision for scholarships because he believed that "no one should be denied an education because of lack of funds." To this he added, "We feel it would be the humanitarian thing to establish a scholarship fund for Italian American boys and girls." Mr. DeFlavia felt strongly about the importance of scholarships because a senatorial scholarship had enabled him to attend Temple University during his days of economic hardship. The same enthusiasm that the DeFlavias had for the NIAF Scholarship Program continues. For thirteen years, the Marinelli Family Fellowship was kept alive by the late John and M. Concetta Marinelli's daughters, Angela and Anne. It continues today, thanks to late Michael and Antonio Marinelli, cousins of Angela and Anne.

Scholarship Recipients

Over the years, the scholarship recipients have been students from high schools, colleges, universities, and graduate schools across the United States . Whether the student attends Harvard University or UCLA, the stories recounted are similar: Italian-American students attribute their academic achievements to their ethnicity and to strong familial support.

In most instances, the students are able to claim that their grandparents were the first generation of their families to arrive in this country. The prime reason given for their immigration is the economic difficulties they faced in southern Italy: coming to America meant an economic opportunity for them, the beginning of a new life.

Ethnic pride surfaces in many of the applicants who wish not only to learn the Italian language, but also to travel to Italy and discover their heritage. In their applications, students often include a family tree.

Another common thread that ties the recipients together is their infinite thanks and appreciation for the opportunities offered them through the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) scholarships. A student who recently received the Sigma Tau Neurology Scholarship expressed his thanks by writing, "I have always been aware of the importance of education in the Italian-American community. I would often hear my grandfather talk about his own younger brother who had moved in [with him] to complete medical school. I certainly appreciate your dedication and commitment to the Italian-American community, and to the art and science of medicine."

Another heartfelt thanks came from a recent winner of the Robert J.

Di Pietro Scholarship. She wrote, "It has helped me and my family financially, but even more, it has inspired me to have the utmost confidence in the power of the Italo-American community's spirit. I hope that someday I will be able to contribute to rather than accept from the N IAF."

Ralph Grasso, director of a private investigation firm in New York and a former R.J. Reynolds grant winner, says that getting a NIAF scholarship opened the doors to a career in criminal justice for him. The grant enabled Grasso to intern at the New York offices of Senator Alfonse D' Amato in 1982-1983. Following his internship, Mr. Grasso went on to earn a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He says his NIAF internship helped him to understand how government works, "but most importantly, it educated me about the number of talented, educated and highly regarded Italian Americans that exist at all levels of society."

Scholarships were always the focus of NIAF concerned with the education of young people who will become tomorrow's leaders. To meet the immediate and long-range needs of qualified Italian-American students, the NIAF offered a variety of scholarship assistance in business, law, medicine, education, music, etc. Funds were made available by the private contributions of NIAF supporters, Italian American organizations, private firms and the annual income generated by the NIAF Scholarship Fund.

Students completed the general requirements of the application form and those specified in categories #1-82. Criteria for selection included academic merit and financial need. Winners were selected by the NIAF's Scholarship Review Committee.

Those students selected as winners were presented their awards locally and nationally and were invited to assist NIAF regional vice presidents. Students are also recognized in the press. There are many examples of students presented locally. In conjunction with Bruno Fusco and Holy Rosary Church, NIAF collaborated in matching a scholarship for Italian American students. Students were presented their awards at a formal dinner in which there were cadets from the Annapolis Naval Academy to honor the winners.

Grant Program

Over the years, Lombardo conducted a multitude of educational programs that were models for the community. To assist individuals organizations and educational institutions to conduct similar programs, Lombardo urged NIAF to establish a grant program through its Education Committee. Applicants were encouraged to obtain matching funds, funds from outside the NIAF. The NIAF Education Committee made their selections yearly.

The Goals of the NIAF Grant Program were to:

• Preserve the Italian American heritage
• Promote the Italian language and Italian culture in America
• Inform the public through various media about the Italian American heritage, accomplishments of Italian Americans, issues of concern to Americans of Italian decent and the ties between the United States and Italy
• Develop new information on social cultural economic and ethnic characteristics of Italian Americans
• Foster inter-connections among the Italian American community

PROJECTS FUNDED BY NIAF GRANTS During Dr Lombardo's employment

"A Debt to Honor" - A 29-minute documentary in color produced by Documentaries International Film and Video. Narrated by Alan Aida, the film presents Italian rescuers of Jewish victims and Holocaust survivors telling their stories.

"Bella Vista: A View of World War II from Montana" - A 30-minute documentary that tells the story of a thousand Italian civilians held at Fort Missoula during World War II. It is co-produced by independent filmmakers Kathy Witkowsky and Lori Hudak, under the auspices of KSPS Public Television in Spokane , Washington .

"The Dance of the Giglio" - A 30-minute documentary a Brooklyn religious festival, the Dance of the Giglio, whose Italian roots go back 500 years. Written and produced by Tony De Nonno.

Carlo Gentile: Photographer of the American West - The first full-length book about Carlo Gentile, a 19th-century Neapolitan photographer who captured on film the American West, its Indians and its pioneers. Written by Cesare Marino, Ph.D, anthropologist at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington , D.C.

"Ciao Italia" - A popular cooking program, broadcast nationally on Public Television and hosted by Mary Ann Esposito, who promotes the cuisine and cultur e of Italy and her Italian-American heritage.

"Editoria Italiana in USA " - a documentary film on the history of Italian newspapers in the United States (bilingual presentation).

"Perfidia" - a feature film that deals with the little-known story of the internment of Italian-American citizens, along with Italian POW's, on American soil during World War II.

Training Italian Immigrants in the English Language and Job Skills - a program for Italian-American immigrants and immigrants of other ethnic origins.

"All My Children: Lorenzo Da Ponte and More" - a film on Da Ponte's life in Europe and America and on the lives of his generations of descendants.

"Italian Sculpture: Masterpieces from the National Museum of Palazzo Venezia in Rome" - an exhibition of Italian Renaissance and Baroque sculpture at the Georgia Museum of Art, Athens, Georgia.

"Bocce" - a documentary film that is the precursor of a feature-length documentary on bocce in America .

Lingua Nostra Project - a national approach to initiating Italian language instruction in U.S. schools by mobilizing parents to take action in their own communities.

The Italian American Photo Archive - a general repository of photographs encompassing the global experience of Italian immigrants.

The Lower East Side Tenement Museum - an old New York tenement building that presents a variety of immigrant experiences.

The Perugino Project - a programming project at the Grand Rapids Art Museum on Renaissance and Italian culture.

Mentoring U.S.A. - a program involving college students' work with children of elementary school age who risk becoming school dropouts.

The Cooley's Anemia Foundation's research on thalassemia, a blood disorder affecting Italian Americans.

Study in Italy Scholarships - scholarships established for students wishing to learn Italian and know more about their Italian heritage.

Conducted Surveys

- NIAF published the first issue of "The Scholarship Gazette" in the Spring osf 1988. The first article published in the Gazette was the survey that Lombardo conducted of past scholarship winners. The purpose of the survey was to identify "Where are They Now?"

- In conjuction with the conference Preserving and Promoting the Italian Language in the United states, Dr. Lombardo asked 2,000 students on how the Italian language was maintained in their homes and schools and their ideas for promoting Italian in the future.