Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarships

The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation is dedicated to advancing the education of exceptionally promising students who have financial need. Since 2000, the Foundation has awarded almost $250 million in scholarships to nearly 3,200 students from 8th grade through graduate school, along with comprehensive academic advising, career pathway counseling and other support services. The Foundation has also provided $125 million in grants to organizations that serve such students.

Why We Exist

RESEARCH SHOWS:

• High-achieving students with financial need often exist in isolation.
• High-achieving students with financial need are less likely to pursue rigorous coursework or to score highly on achievement tests.

THESE STUDENTS NEED:

• To be academically challenged and inspired during school, after school, and in the summers.
• Information about how to successfully navigate transitions to high school and college and prepare for, identify, and apply to competitive colleges.
• Financial resources that enable them to develop their academic and artistic talents.

$250MILLION  AWARDED IN SCHOLARSHIPS

3,200COOKE SCHOLARS  CURRENT SCHOLARS AND ALUMNI

$125MILLION AWARDED IN GRANTS

The Life of Jack Kent Cooke

Jack Kent Cooke, by all accounts an extraordinary man, was born on October 25, 1912 in Ontario, Canada. As a young man, he was an athlete and musician, with a love for ice hockey, the saxophone, and the clarinet. He dreamed of pursuing a formal education, but that dream was cut short when he left high school during the Great Depression to work full time to help support his family. 

Nonetheless, Mr. Cooke believed education was a life-long pursuit. He was a passionate student his entire life and was knowledgeable in fields as diverse as literature, music, sports, and architecture. 

When he died in 1997, Mr. Cooke left the bulk of his fortune to establish the Cooke Foundation and provide remarkable students with the chance to soar. Every year on October 25, the Cooke Scholar community celebrates Mr. Cooke’s birthday and the opportunities his generosity has made possible.