A recent $200,000 gift from Craig Newmark Philanthropies will provide tuition assistance for the 2024-25 academic year to new and returning military-connected students at the McCourt School of Public Policy. The gift further expands the support provided by Craig Newmark—founder of Craigslist and Craig Newmark Philanthropies—who has donated $575,000 to the McCourt School since 2021. Through the Craig Newmark Veterans Scholarship Fund, the McCourt School awards scholarships of $20,000 each to veterans, active-duty, reserve, and/or military-connected students enrolled in McCourt’s full-time or part-time graduate programs. Through the fund, Craig Newmark Scholars are supported in their pursuit of public sector careers.
Related: McCourt School expands scholarships that provide financial support for military-connected students >
As a founding member of the McCourt advisory board, Newmark has long supported and advised veterans and military-connected students seeking careers in public service. He also shares his insights and expertise as a business leader and philanthropist in annual conversations with Newmark Scholars and the McCourt community.
“This fund empowers veterans to pursue careers in public policy and make meaningful contributions to shaping policies that affect us all,” says Meredith Hanley, the McCourt School’s senior director of development. “Craig’s philanthropy has also inspired others to support scholarships for veterans at Georgetown, and his commitment to connecting the people doing good in this nation has expanded the Newmark Scholars network in service of greater impact.”
The vast majority of Newmark Scholars have pursued public sector careers after graduation, including Thor Manson (MIDP‘23), a geospatial engineering warrant officer for the U.S. Army National Guard, and Samuel (Sully) Grantz (MIDP‘23), a Presidential Management Fellowship finalist. Scholars also balance coursework with fellowships or full-time federal, state, or local positions. For instance, Alexandra Dutch (MPM‘24), works full-time as a program manager in the Federal Reserve’s National Stress Testing Program while pursuing her master of policy management.
“[His] gifts have brought us that much closer to realizing Dean Cancian’s aspiration for the McCourt School, creating the most inclusive public policy school in the nation and empowering future leaders to have greater impact across the nation and around the world,” says Hanley.
Read more about the Craig Newmark Veterans Scholarship and the McCourt School’s strategic priorities.