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Florence Kidder Memorial Scholarship

The Florence Kidder Memorial Scholarship (FKMS) honors the memory of the first president of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of North Carolina, Florence Hill Kidder.

  • Six scholarships will be awarded in one year: First place - $3,000, second place - $1,000, third place - $800 and three fourth places - $400.
  • Scholarships are not renewable.
  • Awarded to a high school senior who plans to attend a post-secondary institution in North Carolina.

Eligibility

To be considered, a candidate must:

  • Be a North Carolina high school senior who is planning on matriculating into a postsecondary program in North Carolina beginning in the fall of 2024.
  • See the Application Procedure below.

Value

First place - $3,000, second place - $1,000, third place - $800 and three fourth places - $400.

Application Procedure

  1. A completed application form answering all questions and supplying all requested documents.
  2. An original essay of 500 to 700 words on the subject below.

2025 Essay Topic:
Historic Preservation in North Carolina

Over the years, many organizations have preserved historic buildings and sites.  Please locate a historic building or site in or near your county and expound on its significance.  The building/site should have been built/significant prior to the 20th century.  Your essay should be about the people who lived there, events that took place there, cultural aspects of the time, etc.  Who preserved the building/site?  Why do you think historical preservation is important?

 

Remember to include in your essay:

- A picture of the building or site.

These are some places and/or organizations to consider:

- Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts.
- Preservation North Carolina
- Local Foundations in your community that champion preservation and history 
- Your local library


Remember you must document from where you obtained a particular piece of information, including citations within the body of your paper and a list of works consulted at the end. Please include a minimum of 3 resources in your work.


The scholarship will be awarded on the basis of merit of the individual essay (75%), scholarship and character (20%), and need (5%). 

Deadline

The deadline of all materials to be submitted online is February 16, 2025, at 11:59 p.m.

Additional Information

The awards will be announced in late March or early April 2025.

Note: Family members of current NSCDA-NC Officers, Board Members, and State Committee Chairs are not eligible to apply.

Questions? More information?

Email:  [email protected].

PROCEED TO ONLINE APPLICATION
 

 

  Lolita Cox photograph
Lolita Cox, first recipient of the Florence Kidder Memorial Scholarship, founded in 1923.

2024 Scholarship Winners

This year, we received a total of 126 applications. 

First Place Winner

This year's $3,000 first place winner is Mykenzi Cashwell. Mykenzi wrote an interesting and informative essay about Marquis de Lafayette's contributions to the Revolutionary War.  She was presented  for nomination by the Cumberland Committee and plans to attend Fayetteville Technical Community College. 

Read the essay here.

Second Place Winner

The second place $1000 award goes to Spencer Davis. Spencer's nomination comes from the Buncombe Committee. He wrote on the Battle of Kings Mountain.

Read the essay here.


Third Place Winner

A third place $800 award goes to Lillian Bailey, presented by the Cabarrus Committee. Victoria wrote on a popular topic, the Battle of Charlotte Historical Marker.

Read the essay here.

Three $400 fourth place awards go to Isabella Bagnoli (read here) presented by the Guilford Committee, Charles Bell (read here) presented by the Wake Committee and John Walter Karwacki (read here) presented by the New Hanover Committee.

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