joan c. edwards charitable foundation joan c. edwards charitable foundation the joan c. edwards charitable foundation was created in 2006 upon the death of joan c. edwards, a well-known west virginia-based philanthropist. joan c. edwards charitable foundationfounded2006focusmedical education scholarships and programslocationcleveland, ohio, united statesmethodprogramming, funding history the joan c. edwards charitable foundation was created by a bequest from the joan c. edwards trust in 2006 at the time of mrs. edwards' death. mrs. edwards was a philanthropist and former jazz singer. her husband, james, who died in 1991, was owner and ceo of national mattress company in huntington, w.va., where the couple lived most of their lives. in 2010, joan c. edwards charitable foundation launched the (h3p) in cleveland, ohio, to serve the needs of traditionally underrepresented minorities and low-income backgrounds. edwards scholarship the joan c. edwards charitable foundation has created the edwards scholarship. this 8-year full-ride scholarship will be given to one student from cssm to attend cwru and cwru school of medicine. the foundation has committed to an initial investment of $10 million to $12 million for an endowment that will fund at least one of the mega-scholarships every year, beginning in 2011. cwru will provide free room and board. eventually, the endowment could grow to support more than one annual award. notes and references "the joan c. edwards charitable foundation makes multimillion-dollar, multi-year commitment to case western reserve university". case western reserve university. retrieved 9 march 2011. "joan c. edwards charitable foundation makes pipeline for future doctors". eurekalert!. retrieved 9 march 2011. okoben, janet. "a parent's dream: scholarship covers cost of college and medical school for cleveland high school student". the plain dealer. retrieved 9 march 2011.