FAQs

Nomination Forms and e-mails declaring intent to self nominate may be submitted to the foundation until February 2, 2018. The Nominee Form and all supplemental materials must be submitted by March 16, 2018. Award winners will be announced in May.

No. The Cooke Foundation will not comment on nominations after making award decisions. All applications and supporting materials become the property of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation and, as such, will not be returned.

Additional supplemental materials require foundation approval. Please email us at alumni@jkcf.org for permission. If you have received permission, you may only submit five items of supplemental materials to accompany your nomination. Use your best judgment as to what best demonstrates the quality, depth, and breadth of your work and contributions.

Files that can only be opened by Mac specific software, such as Safari or iWork, will not be considered.

Files submitted through methods other than those specified above will not be considered.

Please make sure your files have been scanned by a virus protection program. Files suspected to be infected will not be accepted or considered.

The Cooke Foundation will not be returning files submitted for consideration.

The purpose of the Matthew J. Quinn Prize is to recognize achievements of graduate scholars and alumni and the Youth Leadership Award specifically targets Young Scholars, bringing recognition and honor to their good work. The Undergraduate Scholar Award in honor of Dennis I. Belcher recognizes achievements of current undergraduate scholars.

Dr. Matthew J. Quinn served as founding executive director of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation from 2000 to 2010, leading the creation of the foundation’s scholarship programs. This position was an ideal intersection of his many interests and talents: his knowledge of higher education; his curiosity about many academic disciplines; his management and leadership skills; and, his commitment to helping people grow and develop to their fullest potential. The Cooke Foundation benefited significantly from his creativity, open-mindedness, wisdom, congeniality, strong ethical compass, and commitment to serving others.

Dennis I. Belcher was one of America’s pre-eminent trusts and estates attorneys and co-chairman of McGuireWoods’ nationally renowned Private Wealth Services Industry Team. Mr. Belcher served Jack Kent Cooke, his estate, and the foundation that bears his name for over two decades. He was instrumental in forming the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, and continued to provide his guidance and expertise until his passing in 2017.

Any foundation staff member, scholar, or alumnus/a may submit a nomination. An individual may nominate one scholar/alumnus/a for each award, for a total of three nominations. Scholars may nominate themselves.

Yes, it is possible that a nominee may receive numerous nominations. Please know that the selection committee will only review one set of documents for that nominee.

It is possible for a deferred scholar to be eligible, but the foundation would have to make that decision on a case-by-case basis. Please contact the foundation at alumni@jkcf.org for more information.

The awards are meant to recognize an outstanding achievement in an academic field, professional field, the arts, or public service that demonstrates the nominee’s cross-disciplinary interests, love of learning, creativity, leadership, integrity, and service.

As the guidelines for the awards state, one or more individuals may be selected for the prize. If the Cooke Foundation awards more than one prize, the award amount will be divided between recipients.

A committee of senior foundation staff will recommend the finalists to the Board of Directors.

The Cooke Foundation will file a Form 1099 to the federal government; therefore, there may be tax implications with the receipt of this award. Please consult a tax professional if you have questions.

No. The award may be used for any purpose and will not be considered in the determination of your scholarship amount or applied towards your annual award cap.