Mission + Vision
The Bezos Scholars Program @ the Aspen Institute, an inspired collaboration between the Bezos Family Foundation and the Aspen Institute, was founded in 2005. The program brings together 12 of the country’s top high school juniors to meet one another and engage in seminars and informal meetings with the international leaders, acclaimed thinkers and creative artists who participate in the annual Aspen Ideas Festival. It’s all hosted by the Aspen Institute, a global forum for leadership and open-minded dialogue, in the spectacularly beautiful setting of Aspen, Colorado. Visit our News page for FAQs, videos and more.
Our prestigious, six-day, all-expense-paid scholarship offers a time of discovery and intellectual stimulation for young scholars. Upon selection of student scholars—chosen through the application process—an educator from each school will be invited to participate.
We’re searching for independent thinkers, demonstrated leaders and engaged community members: curious and inspired high school juniors. Why? Because, quite simply, we want to help nurture the leaders of tomorrow. It’s our hope that Bezos scholars will return home inspired by creative, big ideas and use their senior years to create local Ideas Festivals that transform their schools and communities.
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The Bezos Family Foundation
The Bezos Family Foundation is a private, independent foundation established by Jackie and Mike Bezos—who along with their children and spouses—serve as directors. The Foundation works to strengthen educational opportunities for everyone, regardless of economic circumstances; cultivate learning as a life-long process that begins in early childhood; and maximize the education of children by advancing the education and support of those involved with children, including families and schools. |
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The Aspen Institute
The Aspen Institute, founded in 1950, is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering enlightened leadership and open-minded dialogue. Through seminars, policy programs, conferences and leadership development initiatives, the Institute and its international partners seek to promote nonpartisan inquiry and an appreciation for timeless values. The Institute is headquartered in Washington, DC, and has campuses in Aspen, Colorado, and on the Wye River near the shores of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. Its international network includes partner Aspen Institutes in Berlin, Rome, Lyon, Tokyo, New Delhi, and Bucharest, and leadership initiatives in Africa, Central America, and India. |
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The Aspen Ideas Festival
In a ground-breaking outgrowth of its mandate to create opportunities for deep dialogue, the Aspen Institute created the Aspen Ideas Festival to engage a broader audience in a discussion of some of the significant ideas and issues that touch all parts of our society. Alongside its partner, The Atlantic, the festival offers a stimulating and invigorating celebration of some of the liveliest minds on today’s world stage. |
