$1.75M Gift to Fund Scholarships to Talented Students with Financial Need

A transformative gift from an Emerson parent will help talented students with financial need access an Emerson education and become the next generation of arts and communication leaders.

Sally Klingenstein Martell, P’27 has given $1.75 million to establish the Sally Klingenstein Martell Scholars Program, an endowed fund that will provide financial aid to deserving students.

“Emerson provides students with the opportunity to experience the joy of creation, but for many, that opportunity is out of reach, financially,” said Martell, president of the Klingenstein-Martell Foundation, a full-time novelist, and mother of a Media Arts Production major. “I’m happy to make this gift, as I know that scholarship money is the hardest to raise, and the greatest need. In making this gift, I hope to inspire others to consider gifting scholarship funds in their own philanthropy.”

The Sally Klingenstein Martell Scholars Program will make $10,000 awards annually to a cohort of seven or more students who demonstrate both academic excellence and financial need. The gift advances Emerson’s commitment to attract the best and brightest students from all backgrounds, and to support them in their time at the college.

“By creating this endowed scholarship, Sally is opening doors for talented students with financial need,” said President Jay Bernhardt. “I’m grateful for her generosity, which will transform the lives of students by giving them access to a future of creation and communication, and shape the college community for generations.”

Martell understands the importance of artistic support. While pursuing her MFA, she was mentored by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Paul Harding, who is now a Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing in Emerson’s Writing, Literature and Publishing Department.

Knowing that with her support, she might help a student take a class with Harding is a beautiful full-circle moment, she said.

“In times like these, giving back matters more than ever,” Martell said. “As government funding dwindles, individual support becomes crucial. Self-expression is at the heart of what makes us human, and it deserves to be nurtured and sustained.”