About Us
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 $304 million in scholarships to more than 3,400 students from 8th grade through graduate school, along with comprehensive academic advising, career pathway counseling and other support services. The Foundation has also provided $136 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.
Moments to Remember
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.
The Beginning
Jack Kent Cooke Foundation begins operations in Lansdowne, Virginia.
The First Young Scholars
The first group of 50 Cooke Young Scholars are selected for high school scholarships.
The First Scholars Weekend
The first Cooke Scholars Weekend is held by the Foundation.
College Advising Corps
The Foundation helps launch College Advising Corps to serve low-income students.
"From the Top"
Grants to NPR's "From the Top" classical music program begin.
Academic Enrichment Grants
The Cooke Foundation begins awarding academic enrichment grants.
The First Oxford Scholar
Larry Liu is selected as the first Cooke Oxford Scholar at Lincoln College, Oxford.
"True Merit"
The Foundation's "True Merit" report examines the accessibility of selective colleges for bright, low-income students.
BEAM Receives Talent Development Award
Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics (BEAM) receives the $1 million Cooke Foundation Talent Development Award to low-income students improve their problem-solving skills.
Largest Cohort of Cooke Scholars Selected
The largest-ever cohort to date of Cooke College Scholars (149) and Cooke Transfer Scholars (100) joins the Cooke Scholar community.
Moments to Remember
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.
The Beginning
Jack Kent Cooke Foundation begins operations in Lansdowne, Virginia.
The First Young Scholars
The first group of 50 Cooke Young Scholars are selected for high school scholarships.
The First Scholars Weekend
The first Cooke Scholars Weekend is held by the Foundation.
College Advising Corps
The Foundation helps launch College Advising Corps to serve low-income students.
"From the Top"
Grants to NPR's "From the Top" classical music program begin.
Academic Enrichment Grants
The Cooke Foundation begins awarding academic enrichment grants.
The First Oxford Scholar
Larry Liu is selected as the first Cooke Oxford Scholar at Lincoln College, Oxford.
"True Merit"
The Foundation's "True Merit" report examines the accessibility of selective colleges for bright, low-income students.
BEAM Receives Talent Development Award
Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics (BEAM) receives the $1 million Cooke Foundation Talent Development Award to low-income students improve their problem-solving skills.
Largest Cohort of Cooke Scholars Selected
The largest-ever cohort to date of Cooke College Scholars (149) and Cooke Transfer Scholars (100) joins the Cooke Scholar community.