Among students over 50, Osher has had an enormous impact. About 400 lifelong learning institutes exist in the US and Canada, most of them affiliated with colleges and universities.

These noncredit, fee-based programs are often part of the community-outreach programs of universities, and thus vulnerable to cuts or even elimination during tough times. Yet Osher has made grants of more than $77 million to this field, establishing or strengthening 121 such programs across the country.

Source: Bernard Osher called the ‘quiet giver’