Gates Foundation Expands Scholars Program

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation says it will add $58 million to expand its $1 billion Millennium Scholars program to target low-income and minority students seeking a graduate degree in public health. Deadline for the submission of nomination materials is January 12, 2007, at 11:59 P.M. (EST). This is the first time the foundation has added money to the scholarship program since it was established in 1999. The program has already given scholarships to more than 10,000 students for undergraduate education in their choice of major and for graduate work in public health, education, science, math, engineering and library science. The foundation says it will help 20,000 students over 20 years. The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) is the administrator of the GMS initiative. To reach, coordinate, and support the constituent groups, UNCF has partnered with the American Indian Graduate Center Scholars (AIGCS), the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF), and the Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA) to assist in implementing the initiative. The new scholarship money will be used to increase the number of minorities pursuing graduate degrees in epidemiology, biomedical science, tropical disease, public health practice, and nutritional science. The Gates Foundation spends most of its money fighting diseases around the world and on public health, so the scholars could potentially end up working for the foundation in its other projects. Application website https://www.gmsp.org/GMSP_app/default.aspx