LTC Michael Rainbolt, retired, established the Military Science Scholarship Endowment Fund (MSSEF) in 1991 to provide privately funded scholarships for Army ROTC cadets at OSU and WOU. The MSSEF is a 501 (c) 3 charitable organization not affiliated with BCF. As MSSEF grew, scholarship opportunities were expanded to include cadets and midshipmen from the Air Force and Naval Science programs. In 1996, LTC Rainbolt approached BCF with a proposal to accept management of the endowed scholarships that he had created. In the ensuing years, Mike transferred these endowments to BCF and new endowments were created. ROTC scholarships are open to ROTC students at Oregon State University and its extension campuses, including, but not limited to WOU, Corban University, and OSU Cascade. In 2009 the scope of the original effort was expanded further to include support to veterans, military families, and military children through the establishment of several designated funds and a donor advised fund. This expanded support gives the Benton Community Foundation the flexibility to support a wide range of military and veteran needs.
The ROTC & Veterans Support Fund is a donor advised fund. As fund advisor, Mike Rainbolt recommends grants to various charities serving veterans, military families, and children of the military.