$4.6M to Fund Private School Scholarships in Montana

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A Bozeman businessman has pledged $4.6 million so that Montana children from poor and moderate-income families can attend private schools.

The scholarship program will be run by a Denver-based nonprofit organization called Alliance for Choice in Education. The group advocates for expanding education choices beyond public schools.

The Gianforte Family Foundation made the four-year pledge to bring the ACE Scholarships program to Montana.

Greg Gianforte is the founder of the software company RightNow Technologies. Oracle bought RightNow for $1.5 billion last year.

ACE Scholarships spokesman Jonathan Tee says the organization is budgeting for up to 500 Montana scholarships this fall. The schools themselves will award the scholarships.

To qualify, a family must earn less than 185 percent of the federal poverty level, or $41,348 for a family of four.