An anonymous donor has given the University of Hawaii at Hilo a $3 million scholarship endowment, the largest in the history of the school.

The gift will fund three new scholarships for UH Hilo students, including the Kruschel LGBTQ+ Endowed Scholarship, the UH system’s first endowed scholarship that specifically supports LGBTQ students.

Meanwhile, the Kruschel First-Generation Endowed Scholarship will give preference to students who are the first in their families to attend college, and the Kruschel Endowed Scholarship will be open to all full-time undergraduates or graduate students who graduated from a high school on Hawaii island.

“We are grateful for this groundbreaking gift, the largest ever for UH Hilo, that will benefit so many under-represented and often marginalized students with scholarship funds that help them complete their UH journey,” UH President David Lassner said in a news release.

“This donor is especially remarkable for their generosity and passion — and compassion — for bringing equity to deserving students who are often overlooked and most in need to succeed in attaining a college education.”

When asked whether “Kruschel” is part of the name of the donor, Margot Schrire, associate vice president of communications for the UH Foundation, said, “The name has significance for the donors.”

The scholarships cover costs associated with attending school and have no limitations on what recipients may study, requiring only that they be enrolled full time in pursuit of a degree at UH Hilo. Students will receive the funds starting with the 2022-23 academic year.

The scholarships’ amounts and the number of recipients might vary based on available funds, Schrire said. To apply, go to 808ne.ws/UHscholarships.