New London — The Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut on Wednesday announced scholarship awards totaling more than $700,000 for 276 students from dozens of eastern Connecticut communities.

The annual higher education scholarships, offered in single and multiyear awards, totaled $709,097, with CFECT saying the unprecedented amount was "made possible through the generosity of donors."

"We are very fortunate that our donors share with us a resolve to remove the financial barriers for area students as they pursue their educational dreams and to create opportunities where few to none exist," CFECT President and CEO Maryam Elahi said in a news release. "Every child is important and whether it is through the arts, sciences, humanities or technical/vocational training, education is the catalyst for a brighter future for them and our society."

The CFECT serves 42 towns and cities. The organization says its donors created 113 scholarship funds that have awarded area students more than $6 million since CFECT was founded in 1983. The foundation has awarded more than $50 million combined in scholarships and grants to nonprofits in the last 35 years.