Scholarship Information
SCHOLARSHIP REQUIREMENTS:
The applicant must descend from one of the Mayflower passengers who came to America in 1620. The applicant need not be a member of the Iowa Society, but application must include a valid Iowa Mayflower Society membership number for a blood relative of the applicant. Please note that the membership number supplied must be for a living and currently active Iowa Mayflower Society member. The Mayflower ancestor and the sponsor’s name, relationship to the applicant, and member’s Iowa Mayflower Society number must be included.
The applicant must be a high school senior or a home school student who is the equivalent of a senior. Following graduation, the applicant must attend an accredited university, college, junior college, community college, or certified trade school.
A 500-word original typed or word-processed essay that includes a bibliography of at least two sources must be included. The topic for the 2027 essay will be: “My Mayflower Ancestor and Me”
Identify your Mayflower passenger ancestor and explore that person's story. Your essay should go beyond a general biography of your Mayflower ancestor. We want to hear your story as well as your ancestor's.
Include:
- How you are related to this Mayflower passenger and what you know about the generations connecting your family to that individual.
- At least one specific fact, event, document, family story, or discovery about your ancestor or your family's Mayflower lineage that you found particularly interesting or meaningful. Explain why it mattered to you.
- Your personal reflection on what this family connection means to you. Has learning about your ancestor changed the way you think about your family, American history, or your own role in carrying that history forward?
Most importantly, let us hear your voice. We are interested not simply in what happened to your ancestor nearly 400 years ago, but in what that history means to you today.
Application and submission of all requirements is due March 1, 2027. Essays will be evaluated on historical accuracy, adherence to topic, organization of material, originality, bibliography, grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
Application must include at least two letters of recommendation from non-family members. The letters should include identification of the writer along with a home or business address, the relationship with the student and length of time he/she has known the student, and the student's qualities, which make the student an appropriate candidate for consideration.
A list including GPA, community service, school and/or church, or any activities of importance should be provided. These activities are not mandatory but are factors that may be considered.
One student will be chosen from the applications and will be notified by April 1, 2027.
A $1,000.00 scholarship will be paid to the post-high school institution the student attends after the first semester/term is completed.
A relative of the applicant will not be selected as a judge in the rating of applications.
STEP 1: Complete this google form. Click Here
STEP 2: Email your 500-word essay (including bibliography)
STEP 3: Writers of your letters of recommendation: must be emailed directly from writer.
STEPS 2 & 3 must be emailed to: scholarship@iowamayflower.org
ALL 3 STEPS MUST BE COMPLETED BY MARCH 1, 2027
GSMD Scholarship
The General Society of Mayflower Descendants (GSMD) also offers scholarships to graduating high school seniors who are Mayflower descendants and will be attending a four-year college or university or two-year community college.
For more information on the GSMD Scholarships, Click Here