George Mitchell Scholarship Fund

Annual Report and Audited Financial Statements 2017

George Mitchell Scholarship Fund

Annual Report and Audited Financial Statements 2017

Prepared by the US-Ireland Alliance and submitted to the Minister for Education and Skills pursuant to paragraph 6 of the agreement executed on the 1st day of June 2010 and entered into between the Minister for Education and Skills of Ireland and the US-Ireland Alliance for the purpose of giving effect to the George Mitchell Scholarship Fund Acts 1998 and 2010.

Contents

The George Mitchell Scholarship Fund Section (i)

Accounts and Auditor’s Report Section (ii)

Agreement for the Control and Section (iii) Management of the Fund entered into Between the Minister for Education and Skills and the US-Ireland Alliance

Section 1

The George J. Mitchell Scholarship Fund

Background to the George J. Mitchell Scholarship Program

In 1998, the US-Ireland Alliance (the Alliance), a non-partisan, non-profit organization, established the George J. Mitchell Scholarship Program, a prestigious, competitive scholarship to enable American university graduates to pursue a year of study at institutions of higher learning in Ireland and Northern Ireland. The scholarship was named in honor of Senator Mitchell’s pivotal contribution to the Northern Ireland peace process.

In order to allow the Irish Government (IG) to contribute to this program, the George Mitchell Scholarship Fund Act, 1998, was enacted to establish a Fund to support up to twelve scholarships per year for US students to study in Ireland or Northern Ireland at certain universities and other higher education institutions. The 1998 Act also empowered the Minister for Education and Science of Ireland to enter into an agreement with persons who will manage and control the Fund.

Scholars under the Mitchell program may attend any Irish university or institute of technology, the Irish School of Ecumenics or, in Northern Ireland, a university or other institution of higher education which the Minister specifies, provided that institution and any other relevant authority consents to this and, as with the universities, waives tuition, fees, and provides housing.

The first Mitchell Scholars began their studies in Autumn 2000. Up to twelve Scholars are selected each year. With the selection of the class of 2019, there are more than 200 Mitchell Scholars.

Following passage of the George Mitchell Scholarship Fund Act, 1998, an Agreement was signed between the Minister for Education & Science and the US-Ireland Alliance in March 1999 setting out, inter alia, the management and administration role of the US-Ireland Alliance in relation to the Fund. A subsequent endowment of IR£2 million was paid into the Fund in accordance with the Agreement.

George Mitchell Scholarship Fund (Amendment) Act 2010

In 2007, it was decided to increase the Irish Government’s contribution to the George Mitchell Scholarship Program Fund by €20 million conditional on matching funding raised by the US-Ireland Alliance. Such matching funding must not include funding from public funds in Ireland or Northern Ireland. The purpose of the George Mitchell Scholarship Fund (Amendment) Act 2010, which was signed into law on 30 March 2010 and brought into operation on 1 June 2010, was to amend the George

Mitchell Scholarship Fund Act, 1998, and to provide a legal basis for the implementation of the 2007 decision.

The main provisions of the amending Act include that the Minister shall make annual payments of up to € 4 million per annum into the George Mitchell Scholarship Fund until such time as the overall limit of €20 million is reached. Payments will be made on the basis of matching funding having been raised by the US-Ireland Alliance.

The amending Act also provides for a new agreement with the Alliance in relation to certain matters including the maintenance of an investment account, a matching funding account, annual auditing of accounts and the preparation by the Alliance of an annual report on the operation of the Fund, and distribution of monies in the investment and matching funding accounts if the agreement ceases to have effect. The amending Act requires the Minister to lay a copy of the relevant accounts and reports before each House of the Oireachtas as soon as possible after receiving them from the fund manager each year.

The amending Act also provides for the possibility of using excess income accruing to the matching funding account for other educational programs of the US- Ireland Alliance as approved by the Alliance’s Board of Directors.

At the end of 2016, the value of the (Irish Government) investment account was $5,013,430 and the value of the (non-IG) matching account was $2,883,969.

New Funding and Management Agreement between the Minister for Education and Skills and the US-Ireland Alliance

The Act is complemented by, and provides legal underpinning for, a detailed new funding and management agreement between the Minister for Education and Skills and the Alliance. The agreement gives effect to the provisions of the Act and provides for the putting in place of appropriate governance structures.

The new agreement was formally signed on 1st June 2010 and replaces an agreement that was made on 8th March 1999. A copy of the agreement was laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas in July 2010.

US-Ireland Alliance

The George Mitchell Scholarship Fund is managed and controlled in the United States by the US-Ireland Alliance (the Alliance). Based in Washington DC, the Alliance Board is composed of members from both Ireland and the United States. The Alliance carries out its functions in relation to the Fund in accordance with the Agreement entered into with the Minister for Education and Skills and executed on 1 June 2010.

Awarding of Scholarships

The Agreement for the Control and Management of the Fund, entered into by the Minister for Education and Skills and the US-Ireland Alliance, sets out the procedures for the appointment of the Selection Committee. The Minister appointed Dr. Robert Mauro, Director of the Irish Institute at Boston College, to the Mitchell Scholarship Selection Committee in 2016. He served on the Selection Committee for a second time in the fall of 2017.

In 2017, the Selection Committee awarded twelve Mitchell Scholarships for academic year 2018-2019, also referred to as the Mitchell Scholar class of 2019.

Selection Process, Class of 2019

The Mitchell Scholarship is a highly prestigious award that attracts future American leaders for a year of post-graduate study on the island of Ireland. The Mitchell is most commonly compared with the Rhodes Scholarship, which sends American students to Oxford University; and the Marshall Scholarship, which sends American students to universities in the United Kingdom. In recent years, several individuals who were offered both Mitchell and Rhodes final interviews (the programs interview on the same date), chose the Mitchell interview over the Rhodes. In 2017, Cameron MacPherson, a Master’s student at Syracuse University, declined the Rhodes interview to participate in the Mitchell interview. He was awarded a Mitchell Scholarship and is part of the Mitchell Class of 2019.

The online application process allows for US-Ireland Alliance staff to electronically share applications with the Readers Committee and the Final Selection Committee members. Readers rank their top 30 applicants, which are used to determine the twenty finalists.

The application includes an invaluable video interview hosted by the Irish company Sonru, which is embedded directly into the application for easy viewing. Every applicant responds to three questions via online video. The interview questions, which are carefully developed by the Alliance, are randomized from a list of twelve questions. Having seen the success of our video process, other scholarship programs and universities are following our lead. The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill began using Sonru, and we continue to recommend the company to institutional contacts who are in need of a similar service.

All undergraduate applicants are required to obtain and submit an institutional endorsement from their home university. The institutional endorsement process assists us in controlling the number of applicants from any one school and maintaining quality control of the applications. We do not require institutional endorsements from graduate students or professional candidates (non-students) as it was often difficult for these applicants to find an institution that had sufficient recent contact with them.

All materials are processed through the online system, including recommendations and university endorsements. This greatly increases efficiency for applicants, their universities and recommenders, Alliance staff, Reader and Final Selection Committee members.

The online application for the 2018-2019 academic year competition launched on March 30, 2017 and closed on September 29, 2017. The Mitchell Scholarship Program received 326 completed applications.

Alliance staff read all completed applications and distributed the top 56 applications to the Readers Committee, a group of Mitchell Scholars from previous classes who agreed to read applications in their area of expertise and rank the candidates. We utilized the rankings to select 34 semi-finalists who were then interviewed via Skype in late October. Twenty finalists were interviewed in Washington, DC on November 20, 2017 by the Final Selection Committee, which represents a variety of fields.

The Final Selection Committee members that selected the Mitchell Scholar class of 2019 were:

1. Ambassador Daniel Mulhall, Irish Ambassador to the United States;

2. Wardah Athar, MD/PhD student at Yale University and a 2014 Mitchell Scholar;

3. Melissa Boteach, Vice President at the Center for American Progress and a 2006 Mitchell Scholar;

4. Frank Bruni; New York Times Op-Ed Columnist and author of three best- selling books;

5. Dr. Robert Mauro, Director of the Irish Institute at Boston College;

6. Craig Mullaney, Strategic Partnerships, Facebook;

Newly Selected Scholars for 2018/2019 Academic Year (Mitchell Class of 2019)

Name of Scholar Course of Study Irish Institution Christopher Dade Science Communication DCU Theodore Delicath International Security and DCU Conflict Celia Hallan Geography UCD Fatoumata Keita Women’s Studies TCD Cameron MacPherson Theology and TCD Interreligious Studies James May Music Performance UCC

Schuyler Miller International Politics TCD Anjali Misra Public Health UCC Alexander Peeples International Justice NUIM Hadley Pfalzgraf Neuroscience UCC Shauna Rust Public Policy UCD Jackson Skeen Criminology and Criminal UCD Justice

Activities of the Mitchell Scholars

Each Mitchell Scholar is required to submit four blog posts per year highlighting different aspects of their experience in Ireland. They are an insightful read and can be accessed here: http://blog.mitchellscholars.org/wordpress/

Activities in calendar year 2017 included the mid-year retreat and commencement weekend for the 2017 Mitchell Scholar class, the US-based program orientation and Dublin welcome event for the 2018 Mitchell Scholar class, and Thanksgiving in Dublin. Alliance staff also participated in the 2017 NAFA Conference.

In addition to the yearly events described below, it is important to note that being a Mitchell Scholar allows the recipients access to places and people that would not be possible otherwise. For example, Ireland’s Former Education Minister Ruairi Quinn gave the current class a tour of Dublin’s EPIC: The Irish Immigration Museum. The U.S. Embassy also invited the scholars to a variety events, including a talk on the U.S. political system and Thanksgiving dinner with the Charge de Affairs. On the arts side, the class was invited to a screening of the movie The Drummer and the Keeper at the Lighthouse. The director, Nick Kelly, met the scholars at the Dublin welcome reception in September.

2016-2017 Mitchell Scholars (Class of 2017)

Name of Scholar Course of Study Institution Emma Adler Playwriting TCD, The Lir Azza Cohen Culture and Colonialism NUIG Byron Cohen Public Health UCD Phillip Cohen Global Health TCD Micaela Connery Business Administration UCD Claire Dillon Medieval Language, TCD Literature & Culture Christopher Kilner Biodiversity & Conservation TCD Megan McNulty International Development UCD Peter Prindiville History UCC Wills Rooney Philosophy & Religion NUIM Ally Strachan Electric & Communications DIT

Engineering Carla Winter Regenerative Medicine NUIG

Class of 2017 Mid-Year Retreat

The 2017 Mitchell Scholar class gathered in Belfast for their mid-year retreat February 24-26, 2017. Led by Mitchell Scholarship Director Carolina Chavez, the group visitied Stormont to meet with Sir Malcolm McKibbin, the Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, who graciously gave the Scholars a comprehensive overview of the Northern Ireland political structure and process. The meeting was followed by a tour of the Parliamentary Buildings, the seat of the Northern Ireland Assembly. The group ended the day by attending the play Educating Rita at the Lyric Theatre, a story that is, among other things, about the power of education.

On Saturday, the group enjoyed a dynamic tour of the Belfast Murals led by Queen’s University professor Dr. Dominic Bryan, who discussed the history of the murals and various locations in west Belfast. Afterwards, the group hit the road and visited the Bushmills Distillery and enjoyed a leisurely walk around the breathtakingly beautiful Giant’s Causeway. While grey and windy, the rain held off just long enough for the group to enjoy the beauty of the Northern Ireland coast.

On Sunday morning, the Scholars visited the Titanic Museum where they learned about the city’s industrial past, which included shipbuilding, and textiles as well. The Museum is located next to the docks where the Titanic was built, giving visitors an appreciation for the immense manpower that it took to build such a vessel. At noon, the Scholars went their separate ways, with some returning to their host universities, while others remained in Belfast just a few hours longer to visit the St. George’s Market or take a walk around the Victorian city. The weekend was the perfect opportunity for the scholars to reconstitute as a group and share their experiences and future plans with each other and with the Director.

Class of 2017 meeting with Senator Mitchell

On April 26, 2017 Senator Mitchell met with the Mitchell Class of 2017. Pfizer executives, including Paul Reid, Managing Director of Pfizer Ireland joined in the meeting as well. (Pfizer is a new sponsor.) The meeting provided the opportunity for Senator Mitchell and the Scholars to become better acquainted and for Pfizer executives to see the caliber of young people the Mitchell Scholarship attracts.

Class of 2017 Commencement

The 2017 Class of Mitchell Scholars ended their year in Ireland with a trip just south of Dublin, to the area surrounding the Wicklow Mountains. Trina usually leads the commencement trip but Carolina, the Mitchell Director, led it in 2017.

The group completed the Greystones to Bray Head cliff walk, visited Glendalough, and the Powerscourt Estate. They ended the trip with dinner at Johnnie Fox’s pub.

Over the two-night retreat, the group discussed how each Scholar had grown from their year in Ireland. Obtaining a Masters degree was a significant, yet only one aspect of the experience – the scholars agreed that the exploring Ireland and having time and space to think about their futures was critical to their next steps in life. The class of 2017 was very diverse (a future priest, filmmaker and doctor in the same class) and several Scholars expressed their appreciation for such diversity, as they were able to learn from each other and build connections that will last a lifetime.

Scholars for 2017/2018 Academic Year (Mitchell Class of 2018)

Name of Scholar Course of Study Institution Joel Arnold Urban Policy UCD Margaret Born International Development DCU Theodore L. Caputi Public Health UCC Donovan Hicks Race, Ethnicity, and TCD Conflict Meghan Hind Values and Knowledge NUIG Peter Kiernan Conflict Resolution and TCD Reconciliation Miranda Klugesherz Social Policy UCC Ellie Sell Gender Studies UCD Lacey Smith Immunology and Global NUIM Health Tyler Swafford Geopolitics and Global UCD Economy May Treuhaft-Ali Theater and Performance TCD Kathleen White Sociology UCC

Program Orientation and Summer BBQ

On July 15, 2017, Alliance staff welcomed the 2018 Mitchell Scholar class to Arlington, Virginia, to participate in a program orientation that allowed the Scholars to become reacquainted with each other and learn more about the activities planned for their year in Ireland. Later in the afternoon, over 70 people gathered for the Mitchell Program’s annual summer barbeque and alumni gathering at the historic Hendry House, which is located in Arlington. Scholars and their families from the inaugural class of 2001 to the class of 2017 joined the new Scholars. Former Mitchell Scholarship Directors and other friends of the program, including former selection committee members, also attend.

Dublin Welcome for the 2018 Mitchell Class

On 22 September, the 2018 Class of George J. Mitchell Scholars gathered in Dublin to kick off the year. A reception was held at the Royal Irish Academy in Dublin, where more than 100 guests attended to meet the Scholars. As always, there was an eclectic mix of attendees. Spotted in the room were several alums of the program who now live on the island; John & Rae Gallagher (the Doyle Collection is a long-time supporter of the Alliance); executives from Morgan Stanley (sponsors of the Scholarship); and Larry O’Grady of the Department of Education and Skills. Several representatives of Irish universities, and representatives of online video provider Sonru attended. Alliance president and founder, Trina Vargo, met earlier with John Deasy, the Government’s envoy to the United States Congress, as he was unable to attend the reception. At the reception were Fianna Fail TD and Education Committee member, Fiona O’Loughlin; Liz O’Donnell, former PD Minister of State and current Director for Policy for MSD (Merck); and former Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn, now the Chairperson for the Institute of International and European Affairs. Mary Calpin and Paul Hayes, hosts of the annual Mitchell Thanksgiving dinner, were spotted chatting with Neil Leyden and Tara Peterman of RTE, and journalist/entrepreneur Mark Little. The legal profession was well represented by Supreme Court Justice Donal O’Donnell; Michel Collins, SC; barristers Brian Barrington (also a board member of the US-Ireland Alliance) and Frank Kennedy; and Ruth Shipsey (formerly of Hayes Solicitors; current CEO of Medisec Ireland and also a board member). Those in film and media included Baz Ashmawy, whose TV show 50 Ways to Kill Your Mammy won the International Emmy Award for Best Non-Scripted Entertainment award. Also, Tara Flynn, Carl Austin, Steve McCormack, author Julia Kelly, filmmaker Nick Kelly, Oonagh Desire from the Abbey and many of the Alliance’s Cultur Club members, including Shane Perez and Alan Keane who are behind The Green List. Screenwriter Conor Ryan’s script for The Secret Market -- a Martina McGlynn/Garret Daly, short -- recently won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Screenplay at the Rhode Island International Film Festival. Conor stopped by before heading off for LA for a screening of the short at Irish Screen America Los Angeles. Trina introduced the Scholars and gave guests an update on the US-Ireland Alliance, the Scholarship program and the Oscar Wilde Awards, which were held in March at J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot. The following morning, diplomats at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade briefed the Scholars on Ireland-US bilateral relations, Brexit, the Northern Ireland Peace Process and Ireland’s decade of commemorations. The class also visited the Dublin Writers Museum on Parnell Square for a tour of Ireland’s literary history. The class then headed west for a visit with the Benedictine monks at Glenstal Abbey. Mark Patrick Hederman has welcomed classes of Mitchell Scholars for nearly 20

years. Patrick showed the Scholars Glenstal’s Russian icon chapel after Brother Anthony gave a tour of the grounds. Scholars also met several of the monks for tea and scones and the incredible Noirin ni Riain sang for the Scholars. Noirin is part of the Mitchell family – her son Owen married a Mitchell Scholar. The Scholars also took in vespers, which feature the Gregorian chants of the monks of Glenstal. The Scholars wrapped up their weekend with a visit to Kilmainham Jail with Sean MacCárthaigh, Director of Public Affairs at the Arts Council.

The Monetary Value of the Scholarships

Before 2014, we gave all Mitchell Scholars a fixed stipend without regard to the length of their programs on the island. We changed our policy in 2014 to provide a flat monthly stipend of $1250 for September to May (nine months), and then up to three additional months of summer stipend if the Scholar’s program requires them to remain in Ireland. Each scholar is also provided a round-trip air ticket between the United States and Ireland and other in-kind benefits such as two tickets to the Abbey and reader’s tickets from the Royal Irish Academy. Unfortunately, Irish Rail had to discontinue the contribution of rail tickets to due to financial difficulties.

Program Budget

Our on-going issue is to determine if the Mitchell Scholarship Program is viable for the long term. While the Mitchell has, arguably, become the premiere scholarship for American post-graduates, raising large sums has remained difficult since the 2008 economic crash. Ireland’s Department of Education agreed to contribute $485,000 a year to the program for the years 2015, 2016 and 2017. That is the same amount the US Government contributed for more than a decade for annual costs. We are grateful that the Department will continue to provide annual support. We continue to seek other sources of funding and currently receive support from Morgan Stanley, Pfizer and the American Ireland Fund. The annual budget of the Mitchell Scholarship Program is around $1 million with a substantial amount of that being in-kind contributions.

The program costs include the administration of a nationwide competition in the United States, which includes the expense of the annual selection committee interview process in Washington, DC, the online application and all associated technology and website costs. There are program orientation and commencement activities as well as a Thanksgiving gathering and an annual visit to Northern Ireland for the class of Scholars currently on the island. Other costs include staff or alums to visit universities across the US, as well as staff travel to the island to administer the 3-4 Mitchell gatherings each year. The visit of the Scholarship Director includes a mid-year trip to Ireland to assess the Scholars’ progress, visit the host universities in Ireland, and lead the visit to Northern Ireland with the Mitchell Scholars.

Other costs of the program include alumni events, as well as administrative expenses such as office, equipment, insurances, legal services, supplies, and salaries and

benefits of the USIA staff. Each year, there is an increase in the number of alums that the program serves. A strong alumni program is crucial for maintaining the long-term connection of the Mitchells to Ireland.

Next to our own funding concerns, our biggest concern is the decline of Irish universities in global rankings. If we are to continue to attract the very best of future American leaders, it is crucial that the Irish universities be internationally competitive.

Recruiting, Diversity, Fundraising Efforts

Every year, Alliance staff and alums visit U.S. colleges and universities to promote both the Mitchell Scholarship and the broader opportunities at institutions of higher learning in Ireland. The schools and programs we contact represent the spectrum of higher education in the United States, from small private to large public institutions, highly selective institutions to large state universities.

In April 2017, the Mitchell Director spent a week in North Carolina visiting a diverse array of institutions including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and at Charlotte; North Carolina State University; Duke University; and smaller institutions such as Davidson College, Wake Forest University, and Elon University. The advisors tended to be well informed on the Scholarship itself so we focused our discussions on the programs available in Ireland and how they can offer opportunities not found in the United States.

Due to budget constraints, we often attempt to combine recruitment visits with other travel. For example, Trina visited the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge during a trip to Boston. Carolina presented at American University to a group of American undergraduates who spent a term in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Carolina also had several extensive calls with newer advisors at the University of Michigan, Ohio State University, Syracuse University, and other smaller institutions. We also have our alumni regularly visit universities. Mitchell Scholar Rebecca Blustein is Fellowships Advisor at the University of California, Los Angeles and Mitchell Scholar Michelle Miles is the Director of National and International Scholarships and Fellowships at Kennesaw State University in Georgia.

Indeed, we believe our outreach was successful as we received highly competitive applications from the places we visited or had calls with, with some producing finalists and recipients including Syracuse University, MIT, Duke and UNC, Chapel Hill. The University of Missouri, University of Louisville, and Illinois Wesleyan University produced their first Mitchell Scholars.

2017 NAFA Conference

The Alliance staff attended the biennial National Association of Fellowship Advisors (NAFA) Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that took place July 18-21, 2017. The Alliance and other various scholarship providers had the opportunity to

network with fellowship advisors and make contact with new advisors who may be less familiar with the Mitchell Scholarship, as well as advisors that have regularly worked with us. The Mitchell Director presented on the Mitchell Scholarship the last day of the conference, after the Marshall Program and before the Rhodes Scholarships. Interesting break-out sessions included a discussion between scholarship providers and advisors about how each of us defines leadership or potential leadership; and a discussion amongst scholarship advisers about a myriad of issues, including funding concerns.

Website Redesign

Beginning in late 2016, the Alliance began working with a California-based web design company, owned by a former Mitchell Scholar, to update the look of the US- Ireland Alliance website to make it more attractive and user friendly. The partially updated Mitchell Scholarship section of the website launched in the spring of 2017 with a new url: https://www.us-irelandalliance.org/mitchellscholarship. We’ve received positive feedback on the site from users. The Alliance will continue to update various pages as the budget allows.

Strengthening Partnerships with Irish Universities

Each year, after we conclude our selection process, we send a list of applicants who authorized the Alliance to share their names and information with Irish universities. This information allows the universities to reach out to these students for recruitment purposes. We know that some unsuccessful Mitchell applicants go on to attend graduate programs in Ireland. This information seems to be put to use most often by UCD, which regularly attempts to recruit unsuccessful Mitchell applicants into their graduate programs, often offering tuition support as an incentive.

Alumni Outreach and Support

The Alliance continues to support Mitchell Scholars from all classes as they seek future opportunities. We are always pleased to trumpet Scholars’ accomplishments, help publicize events they are involved in, and help with applications for future study or funding. Most of this news is distributed via mass emails, Twitter and Facebook. We believe this demonstrates to our alumni that staying involved is beneficial to all involved. In terms of alumni giving, the Mitchell continues to beat the US university that has the highest percentage of alumni giving.

Beyond publicizing events on behalf of alumni, the Alliance often holds events, with various partners, that include Mitchell alumni. In September 2017, 80 guests joined Alliance President Trina Vargo and Ireland’s new Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Adrian O’Neill, along side Morgan Stanley Net-Eire members for the annual London reception. This year, it was held at the Marylebone, a Doyle Collection hotel. As always, the event drew a cross section of, lawyers, academics, bankers, and Mitchell Scholars.

Actress, and Tony Award nominee, Sarah Greene was also on hand, weeks before

she took on the role of Caitlin Carney in The Ferryman at the Gielgud Theatre. Sarah was the recipient of a an Oscar Wilde Award at an event the Alliance annually holds at J.J. Abram’s Bad Robot production company in Santa Monica.

The Alliance also involves several Mitchell Scholars in the Oscar Wilde Awards in LA. Those who are in the film/entertainment space are invited. This provides guests to meet Mitchell Scholars and to learn about the program.

The Alliance also held five screenings of Five Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri, which won two Academy Awards for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor. We held them in Boston, New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC with many Mitchell Scholars in attendance.

Appendix 1

Annual Written Declaration by Fund Manager in respect of the George Mitchell Scholarship Fund

I, the undersigned, in accordance with the George Mitchell Scholarship Acts 1998 and 2010 and paragraphs 6(4) and 7(2) of the Agreement dated 1st June 2010 between the US- Ireland Alliance and the Department of Education and Skills (Ireland), hereby declare on behalf of the US-Ireland Alliance that

a) in accordance with paragraph 6 (4) of the Agreement, the Alliance has ensured that all payments from the investment and matching funding accounts in (insert the relevant year) have been used for the purposes of the Fund as specified under paragraphs 1(2) and 1(3) of the Agreement and are not being used to cross- subsidise any of the Alliance’s other activities and

b) in accordance with paragraph 7 (2) of the Agreement, the Alliance has ensured that in 2013 the monies withdrawn from the Fund for the purposes specified in paragraph 1(2) of the Agreement have been drawn in equal amounts from the investment account and the matching funding account.

Signed

Title President

Date April 26, 2018