Textile heiress Mignon C. Smith has given $10 million to establish a foundation to provide college scholarships to Alabama students who, while they may not excel academically, have a record of service to family and community, the New York Times reports.

The program, First in Family Scholarships, will be housed at the Birmingham-based J. Craig and Page T. Smith Scholarship Foundation, which is named for Smith's parents. Starting this fall, the foundation will provide full tuition, room, board, and books for ten Alabama students who enroll at any of the state's public or private four-year colleges. Although they don't have to be the first in their families to attend college, the foundation will give preference to those who are, said its grants administrator, Ahrian David Tyler.

Smith, 73, an Alabama native who now lives in Washington, D.C., told the Times that straight-A students have plenty of opportunities, while those whose grades suffer because they must help raise siblings or hold down jobs often fall through the cracks. Experts agree. According to Jamie Merisotis, president of the D.C.-based Institute for Higher Education Policy, scholarships financed by U.S. colleges and universities, as well as the federal and state government, are awarded overwhelmingly on the basis of financial need or academic merit. "What's interesting about private scholarship aid is that some of it is used to promote innovation, like this one down in Alabama that is supporting community service," said Merisotis. "That's a valuable idea."

Smith, who plans to leave the bulk of her $30 million estate to the Smith Foundation, also announced a $5 million gift to the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa to establish the J. Craig Smith Endowment Chair for Integrity in Business.