Major Gifts Endowment Giving Endowing a Scholarship or Fellowship

From the day the Johns Hopkins University enrolled its first class in 1876, scholarships have been provided to excellent students who otherwise might not have the means to attend. It was a condition of Johns Hopkins' bequest that such support be provided. In addition, a select few graduate students – those deemed "scholars of promise" by founding president Daniel Coit Gilman – were given cash stipends in addition to free tuition. It was an innovation that eventually became standard practice at American universities.

Thanks to hundreds of individuals, corporations, foundations, and organizations the tradition of philanthropy on which Johns Hopkins was founded has grown stronger every year. Today, over 1,000 named scholarship and fellowship funds exist at Johns Hopkins in every academic division of the University.

Donors who endow scholarships and fellowships make an enduring difference in the lives of students and help to secure the future of the University. You may choose to name your endowed funds for yourself or in honor or memory of someone else. Students holding a scholarship or fellowship are given information about the donor and the person(s) for whom the fund is named.

You may decide to focus the fund's support for students in a particular school or academic discipline, or suggest other guidelines for the awards. Depending on your wishes and the needs of eligible students, an endowed fund can provide full or partial scholarships or fellowships to students attending full time or part time. Endowed funds also can support other scholarly pursuits, including internships, summer study or programs, Peabody Preparatory students, and students enrolled in programs of the Center for Talented Youth. Awards are based on need and/or merit, reflecting the wishes of the donors.