In recognition of its 30th anniversary, the JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation will award 30 scholarships to students at the secondary and tertiary level for the upcoming academic year. 

The foundation’s scholarship application period runs until May 31. 

Patricia Sutherland, chairman of the foundation and daughter of the late co-founder Joan Duncan noted, “We are proud to honour the memory of my mother by continuing to contribute to our society through the transformation of lives and helping young people to realise their dreams. When my mother started this company in 1992, her aim was not to make a lot of money for herself, but to give ordinary Jamaicans an opportunity to access the money market so that they could achieve their dreams. These scholarships are an extension of her mission to help ordinary Jamaicans access to opportunities to better themselves, their families and communities.”  

“We are proud that we have been able to assist several students to become the first in their families to pursue higher education and to also help to change the trajectory of their families, while being an inspiration to others that they too can unearth their greatness,” added Sutherland.

Tertiary students, enrolled or who intend to enroll, at a local university, in any degree programme with the exception of: medical sciences, dentistry, architecture, engineering and law, are encouraged to apply for the foundation’s scholarship programme. 

Secondary school students who are financially challenged, are also eligible to apply. 

Individuals are selected based on their financial circumstances; academic performance and involvement in extra-curricular activities or voluntary work in their schools and or communities. Scholarships will cover the cost of tuition, books and/or other school-related expenses. 

To apply for the foundation’s scholarship programme, individuals are required to complete the online application form, on the foundation’s website. 

Although the scholarship programme is aimed at bridging the financial gap for students who would otherwise be challenged to afford university, it is more than providing financing, outlined Kim Mair, CEO of JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation.

“The scholarship programme seeks to cater to the holistic development of scholarship recipients through their participation in the career guidance and transformational initiative for our tertiary scholarship recipients, dubbed, Leadership, Involvement and Innovation, Financial Literacy & Education (LIFE) Accelerator programme, which was launched last year. This learning is also reinforced by transformational training offered through the foundation’s Conversations for Greatness (MyCFG) app,” Mair shared.

She further revealed that these initiatives are aimed at giving the students life skills and practical tools to enhance their lives, shift their mindset and build and foster healthy relationships with self and others, so they can unearth their greatness, and help others to see the greatness in themselves.

The scholarship programme is a part of the JMMB Group’s mandate to develop youth, through education, as a vehicle for transformation and advancement.

In keeping with this commitment to youth development through education, the Foundation has established endowments at The University of the West Indies (UWI) and the University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech), to support research and scholarships. It has also donated over 800 tablets valued at approximately J$20M, during the pandemic, in a bid to bridge the digital divide and close the learning loss gap. 

The ‘One Tablet or Laptop Per Child’ initiative, is designed to bridge the digital divide and enable students to remain engaged. This initiative is spearheaded by the Private Sector Organization of Jamaica (PSOJ), Ministry of Education through its agency, the National Education Trust (NET) and Junior Achievement Jamaica.