Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Celebrates 25 Years of Empowering Exceptional Students
LANSDOWNE, VIRGINIA (OCTOBER 30, 2025) – The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation proudly marks its 25th anniversary, celebrating a legacy of advancing educational excellence and opportunity for high-achieving students with financial need across the United States.
Since its founding in 2000, the Foundation has awarded $332 million in scholarships to nearly 3,900 individuals, accompanied by comprehensive educational advising, career counseling, and other support — and invested $144 million in grants to organizations that also work to expand access for high-achieving students with financial need. Through this sustained investment, the Foundation has become one of the nation’s leading voices in promoting equity in education.
“For a quarter century, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation has believed that talent is universal, but opportunity is not,” said Executive Director Giuseppe Basili. “Our Scholars prove every day that when provided the right support and resources, remarkable young people from all backgrounds can achieve at the highest levels. This milestone is both a celebration and a renewed call to ensure that potential never goes unrealized because of financial barriers.”
Throughout its anniversary year, the Foundation is highlighting stories from Cooke Scholars and Alumni whose achievements span disciplines and continents — from groundbreaking scientific research to community leadership, education, and the arts. These stories exemplify the transformative impact of the Foundation’s scholarships, academic advising, and enrichment opportunities.
Today, many Cooke Scholars are first-generation leaders in their fields, demonstrating the power of investing in both talent and need. Even more remarkable is how these Scholars have become an intergenerational community with the first Scholars now mentoring today’s students, and often hiring them, extending and amplifying the cycle of opportunity.
Cooke Scholars are leaders in their classrooms, on their campuses, and in their chosen professions. Whether they joined as members of the Jack Kent Cooke community in middle school as a Young Scholar, after high school as a College Scholar, from community college as a Transfer Scholar, or as a Graduate Scholar pursuing their final degree, each Cooke Scholar is a part of a legacy that grows stronger with every Scholar’s step forward.
As part of the commemoration, the Foundation recently hosted a 25th Anniversary Celebration, welcoming Scholars, partners, educators, and supporters to reflect on the Foundation’s legacy and its continued commitment to creating pathways to success for future generations. The event at the International Spy Museum was hosted by Cooke Scholar Alumnus Peter Dugan, a classical and jazz pianist who hosts NPR’s From the Top. John Kent Cooke Sr., a member of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Board of Directors and son of the Foundation’s namesake, shared a message welcoming attendees to the celebration. The evening showcased the Foundation’s impact over its first quarter century through videos, musical and dance performances, and a ceremony honoring a group of Alumni who were among the first to offer internship opportunities to Scholars through the Cooke Career Network. In addition to the celebration in Washington D.C., hundreds of Cooke Scholars and Alums joined regional parties across the country and in Europe.
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About the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation is dedicated to advancing the education of exceptionally promising students who have financial need. The Foundation supports students from middle school through graduate studies by offering generous scholarships, comprehensive advising, and grants to impactful organizations. For more information, visit www.jkcf.org.
Media Contact: Laura Karwoski, media@jkcf.org.