2019 Solicitation
MARION AND JASPER WHITING FOUNDATION
SUITE 900
50 Congress Street
Boston, MA 02109
(617) 557-7413 (Main number)
(617) 557-7419 (Facsimile)
"Fellowships for Higher Education
of Present and Prospective Teachers"
Origins and Statement of Purpose:
The Marion and Jasper Whiting Foundation is a permanent charitable trust fund established under the will of Jasper Whiting, a resident of Dublin, New Hampshire, who died on August 18, 1941. Mr. Whiting left the residue of his estate to the Foundation, as did his wife, Marion, a resident of Boston, Massachusetts, who died on January 28, 1965. The Foundation began awarding annual fellowships after Mrs. Whiting's death. In 2019, the trustees received 95 applications and made 41 awards totaling $215,347, or approximately $5,252 per fellowship.
The primary purpose of the Foundation is to award fellowships to present and prospective teachers, with an emphasis on present teachers at the college or university level, to enable them to study abroad or at some location or locations other than that with which they are most closely associated. The aim is to stimulate and broaden the minds of teachers so as to improve and enhance the quality of their instruction. Grants are primarily for travel and related expenses and not as salary substitutes, scholarships or grants in aid. According to Mr. Whiting's will, the benefits under the Foundation are to be conferred at the sole discretion of the trustees but shall not at any time be denied for reasons of race, color, nationality, religion or sex.
While Mr. Whiting expressed a preference toward teachers at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he encouraged the trustees to look beyond these institutions and, indeed, the trustees have welcomed applications from teachers at all New England colleges and universities. Applications from outside of the New England area will not be considered. In 2019, the 41 winners came from 24 different New England schools. There is no specific limit to the number of winners from any particular school. The trustees encourage schools to vet their candidates before applications are submitted.