CHARLOTTESVILLE, Oct 23: The Association for Investment Management and Research (AIMR), which lost at least 56 of its members and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) candidates in the terrorist attacks of September 11, is establishing a scholarship fund to benefit disabled survivors and the families of victims.

The “11 September Memorial Scholarship Fund” will be funded with an initial grant of $1,000,000 from AIMR, a non-profit membership organization for investment professionals worldwide, says a press release on Tuesday.

But AIMR is inviting its members and CFA candidates — of whom there are more than 150,000 in more than 100 countries — to make additional contributions, along with their employers and other friends. the goal is to create a multi-million-dollar memorial fund that can benefit eligible applicants throughout the world for the next 20 years or more.

AIMR’s president and CEO, Thomas A. Bowman, CFA, explained, “Our intention with this scholarship fund is to memerialize the victims by attracting people to professions dedicated to free and open capital markets and to the highest degree of education and professional ethics.” Contributions to the fund may be made online at www.aimr.org or may be mailed to: AIMR 11 September Memorial Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 3668, Charlottesville, Vaa., 22903-0668.

Scholarship grant applications will be available online by the end of this year.