The Nellie Thompson-Dorothy Patch Scholarship Fund is named for two champions of social justice and equality in Salem.
In 1976, Dorothy Patch – longtime school teacher and community activist – and Reverend Nellie Thompson teamed up to find ways to improve Salem’s racial climate. 

In honor of their legacy, the Thompson-Patch Scholarship Fund provides financial assistance to Salem-area ethnic minority students so they can go to college or trade school. For the past 22 years, the Fund has helped students who have faced obstacles in their lives and who have shown promise and resilience by overcoming adversity.

More than 200 students that have received Thompson-Patch scholarships. Many of our scholarship recipients have gone on to get degrees.