MAPP Scholarships

How to Support the Christopher Peterson Memorial Fellowship

To donate by credit card, go to the Christopher Peterson Memorial Fellowship Fund  form at the University of Pennsylvania.  This fund has been established to help future students afford to attend the MAPP program.  

To make sure the money goes into this fund, be sure the top field says Schools, the next says Arts and Sciences, and the third field says Christopher Peterson Memorial Fellowship.  There is a place to specify In memory of, if you want to say something about why you want to honor Chris or if there is someone else you would like to honor in the spirit of 'Other people matter.'  

Because it is a university fund, the Christopher Peterson Memorial Fellowship Fund is eligible for many employers' matching fund programs. The University of Pennsylvania's USA Tax ID Number is 23-1352685.  Donations are tax deductible in the USA.

Those who would like to donate by check should make it out to the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, clearly identify that the donation is for the Christopher Peterson Memorial Fellowship Fund, and mail it to:

c/o Laura Weber
Office of Advancement, University of Pennsylvania
3600 Market St., Suite 300

Philadelphia, PA  19104-3284

Origin of the Christopher Peterson Memorial Fellowship

Christopher Peterson, a founding instructor in the Penn MAPP program, taught in word and deed the three words that he claimed summed up positive psychology:  "Other people matter."

Chris Peterson died suddenly in 2012, and we miss his humor, wisdom, and generosity.

To honor his legacy including his contributions to positive psychology, the alumni of the MAPP program at the University of Pennsylvania created a MAPP scholarship to widen the population that can participate in the MAPP program.  The fund supporting this scholarship had been started by the first graduates of the program in 2006.  The fund continues to be supported by the Applied Positive Psychology Fund, the University of Pennsylvania, and donations from MAPP Alumni and others interested in expanding the community of positive psychology practitioners.

The Christopher Peterson Memorial Fellowship provides tuition remission to one or more new MAPP students annually. Fellowship recipients demonstrate service to others, academic merit, and economic need. As of the fall of 2022, there have been 13 fellowship recipients.