There's been much talk of a private fundraising effort to give race and gender based scholarships in the wake of Michigan's 2006 passage of Proposal 2. That effort is now officially the "Imagine Fund," based no doubt out of the liberal wealth-well-spring of Kalamazoo, where Jon Stryker Promise Zones and other similarly misguided social-engineering efforts often begin (I love Kalamazoo, by the way, it was my home for nearly a year).

Imagine this. Private money is going to replace public money in race-based scholarships. And there's nothing intrinsically wrong that - except perhaps its prudence as an investment. Paula Davis at the Kalamazoo Gazette reports:

A new organization called The Imagine Fund plans to offer college scholarships beginning in fall 2009 that will consider an academically qualified student's race, gender or other characteristics.

Considering race or gender in awarding a scholarship is a practice that in late 2006 was banned at the state's public universities and colleges.

The private nonprofit -- established in 2007 and now beginning its first public fundraising campaign -- was formed in response to that voter-approved measure outlawing some forms of affirmative action in Michigan.

``The Imagine Fund was conceived, quite frankly, because a small group of us were very concerned, angry, annoyed at the passage of Proposal 2,'' Nanette Reynolds, The Imagine Fund president, said Tuesday in a meeting with Kalamazoo Gazette staff.

Since taxpayers aren't forced to sponsor such disparate treatment against their will, and since it is private, one could say MCRI has succeeded. This was an intended consequence. If private actors want to give race-based awards, it is within their rights, even though not necessarily wise.

And as to wisdom, the fund, naturally, expands it "special interests" pandering to more than just race and gender categories. That's the nature of special interest pandering. Check this out:

But organizers of The Imagine Fund believe there's a market for this kind of giving. The fund's scope expands beyond race and gender to donors who wish to finance the education of gays, someone who is disabled or holds a particular religious faith.

Even those on the extreme left should see the danger of giving money away based on particularized religious faith (of course, we're sure none of the Imagination will reach students on the "religious right" or of the Christian faith, because that is obviously "over-represented"), and no one would have tried such a stunt at a public university even prior to Proposal 2. The other inclusions are obviously attempts to expand the fundraising capabilities of the organization. But the whole idea is unwise. If the true purpose were honestly as stated here ... :

``We want to see Michigan have an educated work force and that there's equity and access for all Michigan residents,'' she said.

... then the Imagine Fund would imagine giving to "all Michigan residents" based on objective socio-economic criteria measuring need. For that, I'll at least give Stryker's Promise Zones a large chunk of credit. It's based on geography and anyone of any race or creed can qualify.