Giving to the Ford School

Inspiring the next generation of leaders

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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.

Giving Blueday

On March 15, be part of something bigger

From midnight through 11:59 p.m. EST, Fordies around the globe have a unique opportunity to come together and support what each of us loves about the Ford School and the University of Michigan. Your gift, no matter the size, will make a difference.

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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.

"The Ford School puts people together—especially in partnerships across the state—and they interact, and the outcome is the betterment of society, giving all people a voice and a path.”

Hal and Carol Kohn

With the Kohn Charitable Trust's gift, the Hermann and Amalie Kohn Professor of Social Justice and Social Policy gives a voice to the disadvantaged in society.

Read about Hermann and Amalie Kohn

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

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

“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)

"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)

"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)

Funding internships

Bentley gift bolsters MPP internships

Thanks to a generous gift from Ann Bentley and the Alvin M. Bentley Foundation in 2020 and in 2021, 10 MPP students were able to secure required...

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Headshots of Alex Baum, Bethany Haddad, Ben Levine, Rebecca Mendelsohn, and Cassidy Uchman

Meet our donors

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.

Ambassador Ronald Weiser on the importance of international policy education. The Weiser Diplomacy Center is preparing the next generation of foreign affairs leaders.

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.

James B. Hudak (MPP '71) on his gift to establish a health policy professorship.

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

Hank Meijer and Dean Michael Barr in Petoskey, Michigan on Worldwide Ford School Spirit Day

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.

Giving Success

The Ford School community is strong. We are deeply grateful to everyone who invests in our mission and in our students. As part of the University of Michigan’s Victors for Michigan campaign (which closed with great success in 2018), the Ford School raised more than $47 million from more than 1,700 donors, and saw significant growth in key areas. In fiscal year 2020, more than 500 gifts were made solely by Ford School alumni, many of whom elected to give twice or more to support Ford School students in tumultuous times.

David Bohnett

The David Bohnett Foundation Leadership and Public Service Fellowships.

"Our foundation motto is 'improving society through social activism.' Both private and public sector leaders have an enormous responsibility to set an example in all ways to lead with honesty, accountability, empathy and a deep respect for differences of opinion."

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Susan Johnson

Chief Development Officer

Weill Hall

735 S. State St. #4238C

Ann Arbor, MI, 48109

(734) 615-4001

suejohn@umich.edu

Development

(734) 615-4001

fsppdevteam@umich.edu

Contact

Giving to the Ford School

A bold vision. A lasting impact.

Giving Blueday

On March 15, be part of something bigger

"The Ford School puts people together—especially in partnerships across the state—and they interact, and the outcome is the betterment of society, giving all people a voice and a path.”

Research & action

Our alumni

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

2021 Eckstein prize

Margaret E. Weston Endowment for Education Policy Intern

Riecker Michigan Delegation Fellowship

Bentley gift bolsters MPP internships

Meet our donors

“[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.”

"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."

"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."

“Through this professorship, the Ford School can leverage someone who will influence generations of students to make a difference by developing and defending better policies.”

"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."

"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."

Giving Success

David Bohnett

News

STPP gift to expand educational opportunities for undergraduates

Ethical implications of defense funding in social science

Ford School economists' expertise tapped for bank crisis analysis

Have any questions?

Susan Johnson

Chief Development Officer

Development