The Elliott Equity Fund
Developing a New Generation of Global Leaders
Alumni of the Elliott School of International Affairs make their mark on the world as trailblazers, leaders, and innovators. Yet too many future leaders lack the financial means to pursue and complete higher education. Scholarships open doors for exceptional undergraduate and graduate students, including those whose talent and ambition might exceed their financial means. By lowering financial hurdles, scholarships play a large role in ensuring a diverse student body.
The Elliott Equity Fund Award Application will open in September 2025.
Despite a lot of progress, the national security industry still struggles to achieve equitable representation from students from underrepresented backgrounds…The Elliott Equity Fund is a tangible way for GWU donors to diversify the national security industry, one student at a time.
Brooke Pearson, MIPP '16
Lead Program Manager,
Google Chrome Trust & Safety EMEA, London
An Urgent Need for Greater Access
Alumni of the Elliott School of International Affairs make their mark on the world as trailblazers, leaders, and innovators. Yet too many aspiring future leaders face financial challenges that stand in the way of success. GW was founded to build futures and open doors—for our nation and for the next generation of leaders. The Elliott Equity Fund (EEF) was established to increase access to the transformative power of a GW Elliott education.
Global Solutions Demand Diverse Voices
Innovative responses to global power shifts are developed by diverse, inclusive teams that tackle challenges from the broadest possible perspective. Also important to the study of international affairs is a nuanced understanding of how global challenges affect different cultures across the map.
GW’s Elliott School is committed to bringing the widest possible range of viewpoints and voices to the international affairs community.
The Elliott Equity Fund was established in the spirit of this commitment—and with significant guidance from the school’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The fund provides students who have the talent to change the world with the means to do so, through access to a world-class education in the heart of the nation’s capital. Opening doors for GW Elliott students today builds a better world for tomorrow.
The EEF also meets a critical need in the international affairs profession. The future of our multipolar world depends on a new generation of global leaders: leaders with a foundational belief in equity, inclusiveness, and respect for multiple points of view. Developing this mindset begins in the classroom; a classroom that mirrors these ideals.
A high-caliber education is expensive, and each year, more than 42 percent of the university’s undergraduate students qualify for need-based financial aid. GW already contributes some $230 million annually to undergraduate financial support and recently launched a historic initiative to increase access to a GW education through philanthropy.
In line with GW’s commitment, the Elliott School is working hard to do more to help talented students who face the greatest financial challenges. The Elliott Equity Fund aims to open the doors of opportunity for future global leaders.
The Elliott Equity Fund Award allows me to focus on my academic and professional goals by easing my concerns about financial responsibilities. I can worry less about working to afford tuition and, instead, focus on being a more active member of my campus community, working toward my academic goals, and partaking in professional enrichment opportunities. This award helps open doors for me that I couldn’t open myself.
Anthony Hu, B.A. '24
How the Elliott Equity Fund Works
The EEF provides undergraduate and graduate supplementary tuition and non-tuition support to outstanding students with critical financial need and who bring the widest possible range of viewpoints and voices to the international affairs community.
The fund offers awards to students with great financial burdens. Elliott Equity Fund awards help with the cost of tuition and related expenses, as well as on-the ground learning experiences. Awards may, for example, bridge the gap between a student’s GW financial aid award and the full cost of tuition.
The fund helps make it possible for students not only to attend the Elliott School, but also to take advantage of all that our school has to offer, both inside and outside the classroom. Beyond tuition, learning opportunities include interning with global leadership organizations at GW’s doorstep, conducting field research that amplifies classroom learning, and attending global affairs conferences, and more.
Elliott Equity Fund Awards are offered to newly-admitted students as well as to current students. Applications for EEF awards are holistically reviewed by a committee of professionals from the Elliott School’s Student Services, Office of Graduate Admissions and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, in partnership with GW’s Office of Student Financial Assistance.
In November 2022, the Elliott School was thrilled to confer the first-ever Elliott Equity Fund Awards to eight amazing undergraduate and graduate students. The awards, as one student said, empower students to “move full steam ahead towards a fruitful career in global affairs.”
Contributions to the EEF build on GW’s commitment to opening doors to higher education—and make a world of difference for students to pursue their dreams at the Elliott School.
As a recipient of the Elliott Equity Fund Award, I am grateful to the Elliott School for allowing under-represented students like me to have financial support. This fund will be integral to my learning and will allow me to build my skills and knowledge in international development, specifically in gender. I have been a member of the Council on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and highly acknowledge such scholarships that promote equity and inclusion. It is truly empowering to know that Elliott believes in my hard work and vision for a better future.
Faiqa Khan, M.A. '23
Elliott Equity Fund Award Application
The Elliott Equity Fund aims to help GW Elliott attract and maintain a highly diverse student body through undergraduate and graduate supplementary tuition and non-tuition awards for outstanding students with critical financial need and contributions to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field of international affairs. GW’s Elliott School is committed to bringing the widest possible range of viewpoints and voices to the international affairs community.
Recognizing the inherent interconnectedness of academic excellence and diversity, the EEF aims to strengthen the Elliott School's promise to build leaders for the world by promoting a climate of inclusive excellence and reducing barriers which might otherwise impact academically prepared students from accessing higher education and the field of international affairs. Further, the EEF will expand financial support currently offered for students to access resources and global opportunities during their tenure at the Elliott School, including but not limited to tuition support, textbooks, study abroad opportunities, unpaid internship support, and more.
Elliott Equity Fund awards will be offered to newly admitted students as well as to current students. Applications for EEF awards are holistically reviewed by a committee of professionals from the Elliott School’s Student Services, Office of Graduate Admissions and Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, in partnership with GW’s Office of Student Financial Assistance.
The Elliott Equity Fund Award Application will open in September 2025.
Expectations for EEF Student Award Recipients:
- Provide a short written statement sharing how the EEF Student Award is helping you to achieve your goals. Your statement may appear in Elliott School publications and media outlets, such as newsletters, brochures, websites, and social media.
Please review the guidelines and application instructions carefully before applying. If you have questions regarding the application process, contact esiagrad
gwu [dot] edu.