The Stanford Australia Foundation (SAF), in partnership with the Australian Scholarships Foundation, is pleased to once again support not-for-profit leaders with an opportunity to study at Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) in the United States.

Stanford University is one of the world’s leading universities and the GSB is consistently ranked as the world’s top business school. Located in Northern California USA, the GSB prepares leaders to “change lives, change organisations, change the world”. The Stanford Australia Foundation (SAF) is a not-for-profit organisation with the mission to enable more Australians to share the exciting experience of a GSB Executive Education program for the benefit of the Australian community. This year, with the support of Dyson Bequest, Stanford Australia Foundation is offering two scholarships for study in the 2022 calendar year.

To be eligible for the SAF scholarship recipients must be employed by an Australian non-profit organisation with Deductible Gift Recipient status 1 (DGR1) and plan to remain with the organisation, and be an Australian citizen or have permanent or temporary residency in Australia.

Please note that candidates are required to be in organisational leadership roles. Those who are solely in non-executive director or board roles are not eligible.

Scholarship overview

The 2021 Stanford Australia Foundation Scholarship covers the costs for a non-profit leader to attend an Executive Education program at the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB).  The scholarship awards up to AUD$20,000 to cover course fees, economy travel to/from Palo Alto, California, and incidental study tour expenses subject to SAF approval. Costs beyond this amount must be covered by the recipients and/or their supporting NFP organisation. The scholarship also includes six months of mentoring from a Stanford alumnus living in Australia and a with one-year complimentary membership in the Stanford Australia Association.

Scholarship recipients are able to attend the Executive Education course of their choice held at the Graduate School of Business located at Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA, between January 1st and December 31st, 2022. Recipients may elect to defer to 2023 if they are impacted by COVID-19 restrictions.  A full list of Executive Education programs can be seen here, although applicants are encouraged to consider the six-day Executive Program for Non-Profit Leaders (EPNL).

In preparing an application, candidates should review course outlines and consider how the Executive Education program will contribute to fulfilling personal and professional objectives.

Guidelines for eligibility for Stanford Australia Foundation Scholarships

  • Candidate is an Australian citizen, a permanent resident or temporary resident of Australia.
  • Candidate is currently employed in a leadership position at an Australian NFP organisation with Deductible Gift Recipient 1 status (DGR1). Please note that non-executive directors who do not hold a line leadership role are not eligible for SAF scholarships.
  • Scholarship will be applied to a course held at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA between January 1st and December 31st of the scholarship year (2022), with the option to defer to 2023 in the case of COVID-19 restrictions.
  • Candidate understands that they are solely responsible for gaining entry through any required application process for their selected course. Scholarship awards are conditional on program entry.
  • Scholarship winners will provide 2 short written reports (one within 1 month of completing their course and one after 12 months of completing their course) describing the impacts of winning the scholarship.

Applicants will be evaluated on the following criteria

  • Candidate’s potential for leadership
  • Benefits to the candidate’s professional development
  • Potential positive impact to the candidate’s organisation
  • Potential impact for the wider Australian community

Scholarship timeline

DateTimeline
28 July 2021Applications open
17 September 2021 at 5pm AESTApplications close
22 October 2021Shortlisted candidates are notified and invited to interview
29 October – 12 November 2021Shortlisted candidates are interviewed*
18 November 2021Candidates are notified of outcome
25 November 2021Recipients are honoured at Stanford Australia Association’s
annual general meeting
*Interviews will ideally be conducted in-person in Sydney, however may be conducted virtually in the case of ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.

Application process

We are proud to once again support the Stanford Australia Foundation by facilitating and managing the application process on its behalf. To apply for the Stanford Australia Foundation Scholarship, simply click ‘APPLY NOW’ and follow the prompts to create (or log into) your application page, complete an online scholarship application and upload an endorsement letter.

For tips on what to include in your endorsement letter and who should write it, please see #12 of our FAQs.

If you need assistance with the application process, please contact Australian Scholarships Foundation before the application deadline. Late applications will not be accepted.

Assessment process

The Stanford Australia Foundation will be managing the assessment, interview and selection process for this scholarship. When the time comes, you will be notified by SAF about the outcome of your scholarship application. If you have any questions about this process, please contact SAF directly.

Selection criteria

The Scholarship will be awarded by the Stanford Australia Foundation to an applicant who is an Australian citizen, permanent resident or temporary resident of Australia employed by a not-for-profit charitable organisation and whose completion of the Stanford program would, in SAF’s view, benefit the applicant, his or her employing organisation and the Australian community more broadly. Selection is conditional on applicants meeting Stanford University’s entry requirements for the nominated program. Please note that candidates are required to be in organisational leadership roles. Those who are solely in non-executive director or board roles are not eligible.

More information

Check our FAQ’s page for answers to the most common questions. For more information, please contact us directly here.

Applications for the Stanford Australia Foundation Scholarship close Friday 17 September 2021 at 5pm AEST.