Marcy Houses Scholarship Now Accepting Applications

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — The Marcy Houses Memorial Scholarship Fund is now accepting applications from Marcy Houses students looking for some help in achieving their next steps in life.

Students will each receive up to $1,000 which can be used towards educational expenses in pursuit of an undergraduate degree or while attending a licensed trade or vocational school.

Additionally, scholarship recipients will receive mentorship from a Fund board member, which includes doctors, accountants, urban planners, lawyers and music executives, during their educational journey.

The scholarship was started in 2020 by the Johnson Family, who raised 10 children in the Marcy Houses from 1949 to 1967, according to the fund's website.

"Ina and Booker T.," the heads of the Johnson family, the website shares, "ran a tight ship, ensuring that each of their ten children received a quality education and a faith-based foundation. But, in the Marcy Projects, their kids also knew how to have fun."

The goal of the scholarship, reads a past press release, is to help students in the Marcy Houses find success as they become adults.

"We feel so strongly that whether it’s a trade school, a community college, or a major university, education plays an enormously important role in improving our lot in life," the release said.

Interested students who currently live in the Marcy Houses have until May 31 to apply.

Students are asked to submit a personal essay, a letter of recommendation, a school acceptance letter and may be asked for an interview as well.

Some past recipients have attended LaGuardia Community College, the Fashion Institute of Technology, Lehman College and the Spitzer School of Architecture at City College, according to the fund's website.

In 2021, the fund was awarded a $25,000 grant from State Farm as part of their Neighborhood Assist program, one of only two grant recipients in New York City.

"We are thankful to a village called The Marcy. It’s because of that Village that our family would like to give other Marcy residents the opportunity to fulfill their dreams," said the Johnson family in a release.

To learn more about the Marcy Houses Memorial Scholarship and apply, click here.