Areas of support | Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

Areas of support

Support the next generation of leaders dedicated to the public good.

How to give Our research & impact

Opportunities for impact

Your support keeps the Ford School among the world's top policy schools and provides opportunities to students that wouldn’t otherwise be available. Your gift, no matter what size, helps students realize their potential to become tomorrow's policy leaders.

Below are just some of the funds that support our students' learning, though the list is not exhaustive. Give directly through one of the links below or contact the development team to help you find the best fit for your philanthropic interests. If you are interested in a major gift to leave a lasting legacy, please contact Sue Johnson to explore your options.

Gifts to one of our expendable funds make an immediate impact on an area of significant need.

Expendable funds go directly to students in need, faculty research, and programmatic support.

They include:

  • Ford School Fund for Student Support defrays costs for undergraduate and graduate fellowships, internships, travel, and professional development, making it possible to select opportunities most relevant to their career goals.
  • Dean's Strategic Initiatives Fund provides financial support for unpaid student internships, student organization support, faculty research projects, community outreach events, exchange programs, and other strategic initiatives that arise throughout the course of the year.
  • The Student Emergency Fund provides financial assistance to students with sudden, unique needs such as loss of income or making last-minute travel arrangements to get home amidst the global pandemic.
  • The Graduate Internship Fund helps Ford School students defray the costs of summer internships, making it possible for them to select an internship most relevant to their career goals.
Rachel Jacobson

Philanthropy in action

"My three and a half months interning at the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) were truly the most exciting and fulfilling of my professional life thus far, and they would not have been possible without donor support."

Rachel Jacobson
MPP 2015
Staebler Fund internship support recipient

Our endowed funds are invested by U-M and provide a stable base of support over the long-term.

These include:

  • Gerald R. Ford Presidential Fellowship honors the legacy of President Ford by permanently creating two full graduate fellowships for exceptional Ford School applicants who display a deep engagement in community service and an intention to pursue a career in the public sector.
  • Margaret E. Weston Endowed Fund for Education Policy was established in memory of Maggie Weston, MPP '08, a beloved and successful alumna in education policy, and provides need-based tuition and internship support for students interested in education.
  • The James Wherry Willis Memorial Internship Fund was established in memory of esteemed Ford School alumnus James Willis (MPP '99). The Fund provides internship support for graduate students each summer.
  • The Arthur W. and Mary C. Bromage Fund provides student fellowship and internship support in honor of the Bromage family. 
  • The Neil Staebler Political Education Fund helps defray the costs of summer internships, making it possible for students to select the internship most relevant to their career goals.
Karl Hoesch

Confidence to commit to service

"My two years as a student at the Ford School were among the most inspiring of my life. I was at the point in my career and family life where I didn't know if returning to graduate school would be possible. The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Fellowship made the decision easy from a financial perspective, but more importantly it gave me confidence and a charge to commit myself to service."

Karl Hoesch
MPP '20
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Fellow

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