Salem Open City Scholarship Applications For 2025

SALEM, MA — Applications for the Salem City Scholarships, funded through voluntary donations made by residents on their tax bills and other contributions, open on Saturday for Salem High, Salem Academy, Essex North Shore and other area high school graduating seniors who are attending a college, university or other educational institution this coming fall.

The application can be submitted either electronically through the website or by hard copy. Complete application packets are due by April 27 at 11:59 p.m.

"In Salem, education is a community mission," said Mayor Dominick Pangallo, who appoints the members of the Scholarship and Education Committee. "Scholarship Fund awards are entirely funded by generous donations from Salem residents, businesses, and other members of our community.

"I encourage all who can to donate to support these scholarships and, for our eligible students, to apply for this year's round of scholarship awards before the April 27th deadline."

In June of 1987, Salem Mayor Tony Salvo and Superintendent of Schools Hank O'Donnell advanced a proposal to adopt Chapter 194 of the Acts of 1986, a measure that enabled cities and towns to set up a scholarship account for graduating seniors, funded through voluntary donations made by local residents on their tax bills.

The city of Salem's Scholarship and Education Committee oversees both the Scholarship Fund, to provide educational financial aid to deserving city residents and the Education Fund, to provide supplemental educational funding for local educational needs or to provide funding for existing adult literacy programs.

Those wishing to make a donation to the scholarship fund can do so here.

The application can be found here:

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)