Giving to the Ford School

Inspiring the next generation of leaders
Give now

A bold vision. A lasting impact.

The Ford School is a top-ranked policy school at the world-class University of Michigan. Our mission is to inspire and prepare our graduates to take on our communities’ and the world’s most pressing challenges.

Illustration of a variety of blue, maize, and white shapes in the background with "Giving Blueday 03.15.2023" written in the foreground

Giving Blueday

Record-setting day of giving

On March 15, the Ford School community raised the bar once again for the number of donors in a single day, garnering more than $43,000 for student support.
Learn more

The field of public policy involves difficult work that includes strong scientific inquiry and analysis, as well as leadership skills to navigate politics, advocacy and coalition building, communication across differences, and the ability to envision and make change. We have long been known and respected as the leading public policy school for rigorous, objective data and policy analysis, and effective communication.

Gifts provide scholarships that bring talented and diverse students to campus, support internship and applied learning experiences that shape career trajectories, and develop critical leadership skills to have a positive impact on individuals, organizations, and communities. They also underwrite game-changing faculty research that transform how we address society's most intractable challenges and arm policy communities around the world with first-rate academic insights and discoveries.

Read more about where you can give. 

Kaltura Video
Lynn Vendinello (MPP '89): Students can follow in your footsteps.
Impact

Research & action

Members of the Ford School community make data-driven discoveries to catalyze public policy change.
Read more
Impact

Our alumni

Ford School graduates go on to create a positive impact on people and communities across the globe.
Read about them here

Meet the problem-solvers, leaders, and advocates who benefit from your gifts.

2021 Eckstein prize

“The history of UI, the politics of expansion and modernization, and even the sociology of poverty and work all affected how people experienced applying for benefits. I even had to talk to computer scientists to learn about how state systems were designed.” Kalena Thomhave (MPP '21)
2021 Eckstein prize winner

Margaret E. Weston Endowment for Education Policy Intern

"I am gaining the analytical tools and policy foundations necessary for work in higher education policy research, analysis, and advocacy." Dana Fenster (MPP/MA '20)
Read more about the Weston Fund

Riecker Michigan Delegation Fellowship

"I cannot express enough how much this experience has changed me, the value it has added to my list of experiences, and the meaningful connections it has allowed me to build. Every part of this experience challenged me to utilize and hone my skills I learned from the Ford School, and I gained significant insight on the Congressional process." Iqra Nasir (MPP/MS '21)
Read more about the Riecker Fellowship

Meet our donors

Weill Youth Empowerment

“[Joan and Sanford Weill's] gift will advance U-M and our society by creating opportunities for Detroit high school students and supporting graduate students in the Ford School who seek to study diversity and make a difference in public policy.”

U-M President Mark Schlissel on the Joan and Sanford Weill Youth Empowerment Fund, which will improve education and employment opportunities for disadvantaged youth from the Detroit area.
Learn more
Weiser Diplomacy Center

"Having young people from the University of Michigan and the Ford School—students who are interested in public service—go out and start to establish those relationships in whatever countries they go to is really important for the future of our nation."

Ambassador Ronald Weiser on the importance of international policy education. The Weiser Diplomacy Center is preparing the next generation of foreign affairs leaders.
Read more about WDC
Planned Giving

"Pay it forward. Somebody did this for us. Somebody raised the money, built the school, and had the vision. You can't pay them back, but you can help make something better for the future."

In 2005, Doug (MPA '67) and Mariana Brook, wrote a bequest to the Ford School establishing the Douglas A. Brook and Mariana Proctor Brook Fellowship Fund to support students who are U.S. military veterans or interested in National Security.
Read more about Doug Brook
Program in Practical Policy Engagement

"One vitally important aspect of the program is its emphasis on helping students and organizations learn practical ways to get things done—something too often overlooked by purely theoretical approaches to learning."

Philip Power, former U-M Regent and longtime university donor, on his foundation's gift to support the Program in Practical Policy Engagement.
Program in Practical Policy Engagement
Vandenberg Lecture Series

"Hank has written a beautiful biography of Vandenberg, focused on the role of bipartisan compromise essential to the creation of the post-war international order."

Dean Michael S. Barr on Hank Meijer's book about U.S. Senator Arthur Vandenberg. The Meijer Family established the Vandenberg Lecture Series, which focuses on global issues and serves as an intellectual tribute. Their generous gifts also contributed to the Gerald R. Ford Fellowship and the Ford School Leadership Initiative.
Watch Hank Meijer speak about his book "Arthur Vandenberg: The Man in the Middle of the American Century"

Have any questions?

Contact