Jerome P. Kenney Scholarship Fund

In April 2024, Harlem Academy Trustee Carol Kenney established the Jerome P. Kenney Scholarship Fund in honor

of her late husband. “I wanted to carry Jerry’s legacy forward in a way that would have been meaningful to him,” she says. As a trustee, board treasurer, and Chair of the Finance Committee for nearly three years, Ms. Kenney is committed to ensuring that promising students reach their full potential – a purpose that was front of mind for her husband as well.

Having access to a transformational education is key. “It is important to start early, in kindergarten and the early grades,” she says, pointing to the difference of almost 30 percentile points between what eighth graders at Harlem Academy achieve compared to a national sample of students who started at a similar point in public school. “Harlem Academy strives to differentiate instruction and challenge its students to push themselves academically.”

Education has always been deeply important to Ms. Kenney, as it was to her husband. He served on the boards of several independent schools, colleges, and universities, including Nightingale-Bamford, Northwestern University, and the Yale School of Management.

“Jerry worked on Wall Street, but his passion was always education, and he was very active on the boards he served,” she says. “His father never went beyond high school, but Jerry’s mother put herself through college and insisted that all five of her children put schoolwork first and strive to reach their potential. She knew that the way to a better life was through education. All five children graduated from college and received financial aid.”

In their formative years, Ms. Kenney and her late husband were awarded full scholarships to Ivy League schools. “Scholarships changed our lives, and we wanted to provide similar opportunities for others.”

 

The Jerome P. Kenney Scholarship Fund will strengthen Harlem Academy’s endowment, ensuring financial stability and the school’s capacity to provide scholarships well into the future. “On average, scholarships cover about 90 percent of the cost per student, so the larger the endowment, the greater the school’s sustainability and ability to increase enrollment,” explains Ms. Kenney. The goal is to build a $25 million endowment. “I’m hoping to help uphold the school’s commitment to support talented students no matter the need for generations to come.”

Ms. Kenney points out the many inspiring ways this scholarship fund will memorialize Jerry’s legacy. “Helping young people further their education was critical to Jerry. I hope he is remembered not only for that, but also for his honesty and integrity, the many people he mentored over the years, and how much he cared about giving back and helping others selflessly.”

Jerome P. Kenney modeled the School Creed and the ideals we each strive to uphold, and Harlem Academy is honored to create its inaugural scholarship fund in his name. It is a tribute to Jerry’s life and legacy that so many of his friends, colleagues, and family members honored his memory with a gift. We are grateful to each of them.