Our new goal for 2026 is to provide $15,000 in scholarships to youth in underserved communities in order for them to further their education at a two or four-year college, technical program, or apprenticeship. We are currently planning to award 15 $1,000 scholarships and we are actively trying to raise enough funding to award these scholarships. For more information about our non-profit, please see our 2025 Annual Report. For an overview of our history since our founding in 2018, check out our Financial Stewardship Letter. To donate funds to our scholarship program please see the link below.
The Marie Maxey Foundation is an IRS certified 501c3 charitable organization (EIN -83-1473076). Your donation is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
We are focusing our scholarships on Grenada, Mississippi and nationwide We will also continue funding ongoing activities to help a school feeding program in El Salvador. See our memorial scholarships here.
In 2027, we want to focus on a more targeted approach to giving with scholarships dedicated to healthcare workers in rural Mississippi. We hope to present a proposal to the Mississippi Rural Healthcare Transformation Program -- you can see a draft concept paper here.
Marie Maxey Foundation
2026 Scholarships in Grenada, Mississippi
Grenada Star - May 20, 2026 edition - Adam Prestridge. Photo by Chuck Hathcock
Marie Maxey Foundation
2026 Scholarship Recipients
Grenada, Mississippi
Rylee Ryals – Grenada High School
John Duke Lippincott Memorial Scholarship
Rylee plans to use her post-secondary education to build a meaningful career and give back to the community that shaped her. John Duke Lippincott was a self-taught engineer and pioneering craftsman who built a family business through ingenuity and hard work. Ryals’ determination to build something lasting for others is a fitting tribute to his legacy.
Charley Rose – Kirk Academy
Nancy Maxey Lippincott Memorial Scholarship
Charley plans to attend the University of Mississippi to earn a nursing degree. For Rose, nursing is more than a profession; it is a vocation rooted in service and a calling to be “a light for Christ” in every interaction. Nancy Maxey Lippincott spent 24 years as a certified nursing aide caring for newborns at Grenada Medical Center, and her legacy of quiet strength, resilience, and compassionate service lives on in Rose’s heartfelt aspirations.
Tekenya Walton – Grenada High School
Ruby Jones Scholarship
Tekenya’s path to a career in forensic psychiatry was forged through personal experience and she has resolved to dedicate her education to ensure others have the support they need to strive and lead successful lives. Like Ruby Carpenter Jones — who overcame a sharecropper’s childhood to earn a college degree and become a teacher through sheer determination and faith — Tekenya has refused to let her circumstances define her future.
Tristan Smith – Grenada High School
Buddy Thompson Memorial Scholarship
Tristan plans to attend Northwest Mississippi Community College to study cybersecurity information analysis, with the long-term goal of earning a bachelor’s degree and opening his own technology business. Like Buddy Thompson, who built his own photography studio in Grenada and is remembered as a good and kind man who always made a positive impact on those around him, Smith understands that real success is built through hard work, personal responsibility and genuine care for others.
Kaitlin Willis – Grenada High School
Jack Maxey Memorial Scholarship
Kaitlin is pursuing a career in radiology in order to bring high-quality medical imaging to patients in underserved communities. She aspires not only to excellence in herprofession but also to serve as a role model for younger students. Jack Maxey embodied dedication, responsibility and quiet integrity. Willis’ commitment to service is a fitting tribute to his memory.
Brihanna Simpson – Grenada High School
David and Elena Bathrick Memorial Scholarship
Brihanna plans to attend Mississippi Delta Community College to pursue a career in dental hygiene, motivated by her passion for helping others and her unwavering commitment to providing for her son. David and Elena Bathrick were defined by exactly that kind of resilience and commitment to family; they faced hardship together with love, optimism, and care.
Kyler Pittman – Grenada High School
Ambassador Larry Palmer Memorial Scholarship
Kyler is an aspiring athletic trainer who plans to study kinesiology and pursue a career in the field, with ambitions to ultimately work for an NFL team. Ambassador Larry Palmer dedicated his career to public service and international leadership. Kyler’s extraordinary combination of personal excellence and generosity of spirit honors his legacy.
Charlee Sultan – Kirk Academy
William Carpenter Sr. Memorial Scholarship
Charlee will attend the University of Mississippi where she plans to pursue a degree in business. She brings energy, commitment and pride to everything she takes on. She reflects the spirit that defined Billy Carpenter’s remarkable life as a Marine Corps veteran and a man of faith, dedicated to his family and community.
Andrew Klinck – Grenada High School
Bo Hunter Memorial Scholarship
Drew is pursuing a degree in sports medicine, a career inspired by his firsthand experience with athletic injuries. He plans to help others in their recovery. Bo Hunter was a warm, caring friend whose legacy of reaching higher and of caring deeply aligns with Drew’s determination and compassion.
Tyla Hyde – Holmes Community College
Sylvia Ayers Memorial Scholarship
Tyla is a second-year student at Holmes Community College, on track to becoming a nurse. She will lead a hypertension awareness program for Colleagues in Care in September as well as teach Red Cross-certified CPR AED classes in Grenada. This scholarship supports her education and her commitment to preventing stroke and teaching others how to respond to cardiac arrests in Grenada. This is a fitting tribute to Sylvia Ayers, who dedicated her life as a nurse to help others.
The Marie Maxey Foundation (EIN: 83-1473076) is an IRS-certified 501(c)(3) charitable organization based in Fairfax, Va., dedicated to expanding access to higher education for underserved youth. To learn more about our activities, visit http://www.maxeys.org.
