Jack Kent Cooke Foundation

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: $27,522,874 (2023)
• Success Rate: Highly competitive (estimated <5% based on programme descriptions)
• Decision Time: 3-4 months
• Grant Range: $10,000 - $35,000 (organisations); up to $55,000/year (scholarships)
• Geographic Focus: National (United States)

Contact Details

Website: www.jkcf.org
Phone: 703-723-8000
Email:

• Scholarships: scholarships@jkcf.org
• Grants: grants@jkcf.org
• Media: media@jkcf.org

Scholarship Support:

• Phone: 571-799-8064
• Text: 703-687-0150

Address: 44325 Woodridge Parkway, Lansdowne, VA 20176

Overview

The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation with approximately $827 million in assets, established to advance the education of exceptionally promising students who have financial need. The foundation distributed approximately $27.5 million in grants in 2023 through both direct scholarships to high-achieving students and grants to educational organisations. With more than 3,400 current scholars and alumni, JKCF has awarded $304 million in scholarships and $136 million in grants since inception. The foundation focuses on supporting students from elementary through graduate school, providing not just financial assistance but comprehensive academic advising and support services.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programmes

Organisational Grants (Limited, mostly by invitation):

• Good Neighbor Grants: $10,000 - $35,000 (one-time project support for youth-serving nonprofits in the Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC areas)
• Academic Achievement Grants: Variable amounts for educational organisations
• College Access and Excellence Grants: Support for programmes increasing college access
• Local Support Grants: Community-based educational initiatives
• HBCU Support: Recently invested over $5 million at five public HBCUs
• Mental Health Support Grants: $1.7 million recently awarded to three nonprofits
• Young Artist Award: Support for talented musicians with financial need

Student Scholarships (Open application):

• College Scholarship Programme: Up to $55,000/year for high school seniors (Application typically opens in September and closes in November)
• Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship: Up to $55,000/year for up to 3 years for community college students (Application typically opens in October and closes in January)
• Young Scholars Programme: Comprehensive support for students grades 8-12 (Application typically opens in February and closes in late April)

Priority Areas

• High-achieving students with demonstrated financial need (family income typically under $95,000)
• Educational equity and access
• Support for community college transfer students
• Comprehensive student support beyond financial aid
• Mental health support for students
• Strengthening educational pathways from K-12 through graduate school

What They Don't Fund

• Unsolicited grant proposals (rarely funded)
• General operating support for organisations
• Capital campaigns
• Endowments
• Programmes outside the United States
• Students without demonstrated high academic achievement

Governance and Leadership

Executive Director: Giuseppe Basili
Vice President, Scholarship Programmes: Natalie Rodriguez Jansorn
Vice President, Scholarship Programmes Operations: Dana O'Neill

The foundation operates with a focus on strategic, invitation-based grantmaking for organisations whilst maintaining open, competitive scholarship programmes for individual students. Leadership emphasises supporting students who demonstrate both exceptional academic promise and significant financial need.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

For Student Scholarships (Public Application Process):

• Apply online through the JKCF website during specified application windows
• Each programme has distinct eligibility criteria and application periods
• Requires demonstration of academic excellence and financial need
• Average recipient profile: 3.98 GPA, 93% held leadership roles, 89% engaged in community service

For Organisational Grants (Limited Public Process):

• The foundation states: "We rarely, if ever, fund unsolicited proposals"
• Most grants are awarded by invitation or through existing relationships
• Organisations can contact grants@jkcf.org to express interest
• Grants are typically one-time and project-based

Getting on Their Radar

• The foundation actively identifies organisations that complement their mission
• Focus on demonstrating direct impact on high-achieving, low-income students
• Build relationships through their existing scholar network
• Partner with organisations already in their portfolio
• Demonstrate innovative approaches to educational access and success

Decision Timeline

• Scholarship decisions: 3-4 months after application deadline
• Grant decisions: Variable, typically invitation-based
• Notification via email for all programmes

Success Rates

• Scholarships described as "highly competitive"
• College Scholarship recipients average 3.98 unweighted GPA
• Approximately 85-90 transfer scholarships awarded annually from thousands of applications
• Organisational grants limited to strategic partners

Reapplication Policy

• Unsuccessful scholarship applicants can reapply in subsequent years if still eligible
• No specific waiting period mentioned for scholarships
• Organisational grant reapplication not typically applicable due to invitation-based process

Application Success Factors

For Student Applicants:

• Demonstrate exceptional academic achievement (near 4.0 GPA typical)
• Show significant leadership experience (93% of recipients held leadership roles)
• Document extensive community service involvement (89% of recipients)
• Clearly articulate financial need (family income typically under $95,000)
• Present compelling personal narrative of overcoming obstacles

For Organisations:

• Align closely with foundation's focus on high-achieving, low-income students
• Demonstrate measurable impact on educational outcomes
• Show innovative approaches to addressing educational inequity
• Have existing track record of success with target population
• Propose specific, time-limited projects rather than general support

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• The foundation primarily awards grants by invitation only - unsolicited proposals are rarely funded
• Focus on building relationships and getting on their radar through existing partners
• Student scholarship programmes are highly competitive but have open application processes
• Distributed approximately $27.5 million in total annual giving in 2023 across all programmes
• Emphasis on "last dollar" funding - maximising impact after other aid sources
• Strong preference for comprehensive support beyond just financial assistance
• Contact grants@jkcf.org to express organisational interest, but expect limited response to unsolicited requests

References

• Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Official Website (www.jkcf.org) - Accessed December 2024
• ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer - Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Form 990 Data (Tax Year 2023) - Accessed December 2024
• GuideStar Profile for Jack Kent Cooke Foundation (EIN: 54-1896244) - Accessed December 2024
• Foundation scholarship programme pages and application guidelines - Accessed December 2024
• Foundation grants overview and contact information - Accessed December 2024