In his last will and testament, Dr. John Benjamin Stewart directed the executor to establish a charitable foundation to be known as the “Northern Nova Scotia Foundation” (The Foundation) to provide scholarships for high school graduates from Pictou, Antigonish, Guysborough, Inverness, Richmond, Victoria and Cape Breton counties in Nova Scotia who are entering an undergraduate program at a Canadian university.
Dr. Stewart left the conditions governing the awarding of the scholarships and management of the Foundation to the discretion of three trustees- one appointed by the Dean of Arts, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, NS; one appointed by the Minister of St. James United Church, Antigonish, NS; and one appointed by the President of Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS.
The Foundation was established in 2019 and scholarships were offered for the first time the following year.
In 2020, 32 graduates from 17 different High Schools in north eastern Nova Scotia were awarded Dr. John B. Stewart Scholarships.