Since 1993, the Nancy K. Poppen (NKP) Program at Muskegon Public Schools has been providing talented, low-income and historically underserved students access to personalized arts education, serving more than 735 students.
In 2000, we expanded the program with the Sherman R. Poppen Fund, which has provided 48 NKP Program students with renewable scholarships for college. These funds help cover costs beyond financial aid—like rent, meal plans, transportation, and specialized equipment—ensuring our students have what they need to succeed in a postsecondary setting.
Nancy Poppen was a visual artist who wanted all children to be able to explore the fine arts.
She established her fund at the Community Foundation for Muskegon County in 1993, with her husband Sherman Poppen, who graduated from Muskegon High School, to assist lower income families in the Big Red community with access to arts lessons.
The Poppen connection to Muskegon Public Schools runs deep. Sherman played on the Big Reds football team and basketball teams, and his father Cyrus served as president of the Muskegon Public Schools Board of Education for many years and handed diplomas to Sherman and his younger sister Leila.
Under the direction of a Board of Directors made of community leaders, arts specialists, and school staff members, the fund supports an average of 50 to 75 MPS students each year.
In 2000, Sherman enhanced the Nancy K. Poppen Program by establishing the Sherman R. Poppen Scholarship Fund. Poppen created the fund after talking with students who were struggling to afford college because of a lack of arts-related scholarships.
The Sherman R. Poppen Program is a competitive college scholarship available to successful participants in the Nancy K. Poppen program who graduate from Muskegon Public Schools and major or minor in an arts field, or are involved in an arts-related activity at an accredited college, university or arts school.
735 MPS students served since 1993