Mary Jane Simpson Scholarship Fund

2026 Application Season

Selection Criteria and Award

The Mary Jane Simpson Scholarship Fund (MJS, MJSSF or “the Fund”) is a four-year college scholarship program run by three Quaker Meetings: Bethesda Friends Meeting (BFM), Friends Meeting of Washington (FMW), and Langley Hill Friends Meeting (LHFM).  The scholarship was established in 1981, and in 1993 it was named for Mary Jane Simpson, an FMW member who had been a social worker in the DC public schools.  It is supported entirely through donations by individuals, contributions by the three Meetings, and mission aligned foundations.

MJS Scholars are students who have a demonstrable ability to overcome challenges to development or success; evince a commitment to getting a college education, are driven to succeed academically, and have demonstrated significant financial need*.  They also have a proven record of academic and extracurricular achievement coupled with strong civic values and a history of familial or community contributions.  Depending on donations, we anticipate that 4 to 5 applicants will become MJS Scholars in 2026.  These Scholars will be awarded scholarships ranging from $2,000 to $4,000 per year for each of the 4 years of college without the need to reapply for the award each year.

*The MJS Committee considers the financial position of applicants and those contributing to their college education (typically parents or legal guardians).  An applicant’s plans for financing their college education are also taken into account.  Financial need is reviewed holistically, recognizing that no single number fully captures a family’s lived circumstances.  MJS Scholars generally demonstrate significant financial need by providing documentation from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 1040 as follows

● Student Aid Index (SAI): SAI is FAFSA's estimation of a family’s ability to contribute to college costs.  The MJS Committee considers the following mission-aligned SAI range prioritization with a low SAI having highest priority:

○   Highest: –1500 to 0
○   Strong: 1 to 5,000
○   Contextual review: 5,001 to 10,000
○   Generally outside mission alignment: Above 10,000

● Adjusted Gross Income (AGI): AGI is the Federal government's official way of measuring how much money a household actually had available to live on during a tax year.  AGI is reported on the parent(s)/legal guardian(s) of the applicant's tax return filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on IRS Form 1040 for the previous year.  The MJS Committee considers the following mission-aligned AGI range prioritization with a low AGI having the highest priority:

○   Highest: $0 to $40,000
○   Strong: $40,001 to $55,000
○   Contextual review: $55,001 to $65,000
○   Generally outside mission alignment: Above $65,001

Important Dates

APPLY ONLINE FOR THE MJS SCHOLARSHIP
maryjanesimpsonscholarship.submittable.com

  • Monday, February 16, 2026: Opening day of application season

  • Sunday, April 5, 2026: Closing day of application season

  • Monday, May 4, 2026: 1st Round of application review opens

  • Friday, May 22, 2026: 1st Round of application review closes

  • Wednesday, May 31, 2026: 2nd Round of application review opens

  • Sunday, June 14, 2026: 2nd Round of application review closes

  • Monday, June 15, 2026 through Friday, June 19, 2026: Semi-Finalists notified via email, tasked with submitting additional documentations, including a financial questionnaire, and interviews scheduled

  • Saturday, June 27, 2026: Semi-Finalist Interviews & Finalist Decisioning

  • Monday, June 29, 2026: Finalist Scholar Award Letters sent via email

Application Criteria and Instructions

Apply

Questions

If you have questions about the scholarship, criteria, requirements, are experiencing technical issues with the online platform, please email mjsimpsonscholarship@gmail.com.