JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation Empowers Scholars through Unique LIFE Accelerator Programme and Over $17M in Scholarships

The JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation is deepening its impact on youth development through its LIFE Accelerator Programme—a unique, holistic initiative that equips scholarship recipients with tools for personal and professional growth. First introduced in 2021, the programme continues to distinguish the Foundation’s approach to educational support by offering experiences that go far beyond financial aid. Complementing this transformative programme, the Foundation awarded over J$17 million in scholarships and bursaries to high school and tertiary students for the 2025–26 academic year, reaffirming its commitment to nation-building through education.

A key feature of the LIFE Accelerator Programme—Leadership, Involvement & Innovation, Financial Literacy, Education—is its focus on well-rounded development. Thirty-two tertiary scholars benefit from in-person workshops, online content, and community engagement activities, including Conversations for Greatness, career alignment coaching, financial literacy training, and volunteer opportunities such as Read Across Jamaica.

“This programme is designed to nurture the whole person,” said Kim Mair, CEO of the JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation. “We anticipate that the LIFE Accelerator Programme will empower our scholars to become not only successful professionals, but also compassionate leaders and changemakers in their communities. It’s about creating a ripple effect of greatness.”

The Foundation’s scholarship initiative, detailed at joanduncanfoundation.org, is rooted in the values of love, openness, honesty, integrity, and care, championed by the late Joan Duncan, co-founder of the JMMB Group. It supports academically capable, community-minded students, with a focus on final-year undergraduates.

Kim Mair (left), CEO of the JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation, shares a joyful moment with scholarship recipient Nicola Powell at the recently held awards ceremony at Terra Nova All Suites Hotel.

Among this year’s recipients is Nicola Powell, a final-year student at the Caribbean Maritime University, pursuing a BSc in Border Operations and Management. Nicola shared, “It gave me the drive I needed to continue doing well academically and professionally. I want to build on the legacy that Joan Duncan set forward.” A devoted mother, she credits her faith and her son as her greatest motivations and expressed deep gratitude to the Foundation for helping her live her dream.

This year’s awards were also supported by a generous donation from the American Friends of Jamaica (AFJ), which funded two scholarships covering tuition and school-related expenses.

A full list of this year’s scholarship recipients and their courses of study was shared at the ceremony. Areas of study include education, business, social work, marketing, criminology, and maritime operations, reflecting the Foundation’s commitment to supporting Jamaica’s development across diverse fields.

As the JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation continues to invest in Jamaica’s future, each scholarship awarded represents more than financial aid—it is a vote of confidence in the transformative power of education and the limitless potential of our youth.