Scholarship Foundation of East Providence developed from a project proposed in 1967 by the city’s two Junior Women’s Clubs. The Riverside Junior Women’s Club and the Rumford Junior Women’s Club saw the need to establish an independent volunteer organization to unify existing awards and to objectively administer scholarships.
A Dutch Treat dinner was held on April 2, 1968 at East Providence High School to acquaint civic groups in the city with the program. About 60 representatives from 19 civic and fraternal organizations attended and decided to organize a local Dollars for Scholars chapter of Citizens’ Scholarship Foundation of America. An official charter was issued on July 17, 1968 to Citizens’ Scholarship Foundation of East Providence. The first scholarships were awarded at a Tea on October 19,1969. Five students received scholarships totaling $1,750.
On December 31, 2013 the scholarship group disaffiliated as a Dollars for Scholars chapter of Scholarship America and became an independent charity. On March 20, 2014 board members amended the Articles of Incorporation to change the organization name to Scholarship Foundation of East Providence, Inc. Federal tax-exempt status as an independent 501(c)(3) public charity was granted by the Internal Revenue Service on September 4, 2014.