Community Press Release

To commemorate their accomplishments ahead of the start of their college careers, the Kraft family welcomed the 2026 Partners in Patriotism Jimmy McGowan Memorial (PIP JMM) Scholarship recipients, alongside their families and friends, to the Patriots preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday, Aug. 13. Emma Fisler, Henry Griffin and Erin O’Malley (recipients Shiza Hussain and Colin Trimble were unable to attend) were personally congratulated by Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft, watched pregame warmups from the sideline and enjoyed the game from 100-level seats and the Bud Light Celebration Beer Hall.

Fisler, Griffin, Hussain, O’Malley and Trimble will each receive a $5,000 academic scholarship from the Kraft family and Partners in Patriotism Fund as they embark on their postsecondary education. Last year, the scholarship was renamed the Partners in Patriotism Jimmy McGowan Memorial Scholarship in honor of Jimmy McGowan, a charter member of the PIP Fund Grants Committee who passed away in 2025. McGowan embodied the values of community service and leadership that guide the recipient selection process, and his legacy will continue in each of the PIP JMM Scholarship recipients.

Since the inception of the PIP Scholarship program in 2018, the Kraft family has awarded a total of $225,000 in scholarship money to graduating high school seniors from Foxborough with postsecondary education plans. The program, in partnership with the Kraft family’s nonprofit organization, the Partners in Patriotism Fund, offers up to five $5,000 scholarships each year to students who exemplify good character, high integrity, respect for others and a dedication to community service.