What Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation does

The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation (STBF) is a private non-profit foundation established in 1964 by Susan Thompson Buffett, the late wife of Warren Buffett, and headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. Its core program is the Susan T. Buffett Scholarship, a competitive, need-based college scholarship awarded to first-time freshmen who graduate from a Nebraska high school (or earn a GED), demonstrate financial need with a Student Aid Index below 10,000, hold a minimum 2.0 GPA, and enroll at one of 16 Nebraska public colleges. The scholarship covers tuition and fees, is renewable for up to five years at four-year institutions or three years at two-year colleges, and stacks with federal Pell Grants and Nebraska Promise aid. The foundation supports over 3,000 current Buffett Scholars and operates the William H. Thompson Scholars Learning Community at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, Lincoln, and Omaha campuses.

The foundation's technology footprint is a web-based application portal (app.buffettscholarships.org) where students submit forms, recommendations, financial documents, transcripts, and short answers during the November 1 to February 1 application window, alongside a request-form system for existing scholars managing study abroad, transfers, enrollment holds, and secondary-college funding. Distribution runs through the Financial Aid Offices of the 16 partner colleges, with the foundation employing 11-50 staff. Beyond domestic scholarships, STBF has begun international grant-making, committing $29.2 million to Kenya's State Department for Medical Services for fiscal year 2026/2027 to support reproductive health services, representing the foundation's first material expansion beyond Nebraska. The foundation is funded entirely by charitable contributions from Warren Buffett and his family, who have announced plans to transfer $1.3 billion in Berkshire Hathaway shares to family foundations over the next decade.

Because STBF is a non-profit, its "business model" is the disbursement of charitable funds rather than revenue generation; there are no fees charged to students, and awards are made on a competitive, needs-blind-to-academic-merit basis. The go-to-market motion is a product-led, self-serve application cycle targeting Nebraska high school graduates, with awareness driven by the buffettscholarships.org website, a X (Twitter) presence at @BuffettScholars, and direct outreach through Nebraska high schools and the state's public college network.

Name

Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation

Legal name

The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation

Website

https://buffettscholarships.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Scholarship Programs

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

Keywords

• College scholarship programs
• Higher education grants
• Nonprofit foundation funding
• Financial aid scholarships
• Reproductive health grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Omaha

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grant Disbursements: The foundation distributes charitable grants and scholarships rather than generating revenue. Major disbursements include $29.2 million committed to Kenya's health sector for reproductive health services in fiscal year 2026/2027. Domestic activities focus on college scholarships for Nebraska students with financial need, renewable annually for up to 5 years at four-year colleges or 3 years at two-year colleges.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation provides college scholarships to first-time freshman Nebraska students with demonstrated financial need who attend Nebraska public colleges. The scholarship covers tuition and fees, is renewable for up to 5 years at four-year colleges or 3 years at two-year colleges, and combines with other financial aid such as Pell Grants and Nebraska Promise. The foundation also supports international grantmaking, notably committing $29.2 million to Kenya's health sector for fiscal year 2026/2027.

Product overview

The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation offers a single unified scholarship program—the Susan T. Buffett Scholarship—for Nebraska students. The core product is the scholarship itself, supported by an online application portal (app.buffettscholarships.org), request form system for scholar services (Study Abroad, On Hold, Transfers, etc.), and the William H. Thompson Scholars Learning Community which provides mandatory support services for scholars attending University of Nebraska campuses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Susan T. Buffett Scholarship A competitive scholarship awarded to first-time freshman Nebraska students with financial need attending Nebraska public colleges, offering renewable funding for up to 5 years at four-year colleges or 3 years at two-year colleges. The scholarship covers tuition and fees at the recipient's Nebraska public college and combines with other financial aid such as Pell Grant and Nebraska Promise.
• STBF Scholarship Application Portal An online application system where students submit application forms, recommendations, financial documents, high school transcripts, short answers, and consent forms for scholarship consideration. The application period opens November 1st and closes February 1st each year, with award decisions made before May 1st.
• Scholarship Request Forms
• William H. Thompson Scholars Learning Community (TSLC) A mandatory support program for Buffett Scholars at UNK, UNL, and UNO providing academic and social support, counseling, advisement, faculty interaction, and tutoring services.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3,000 current scholars across Nebraska attending 16 public colleges
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Kenya National Treasury and State Department for Medical ServicescoreOthers · 1 January 2026The foundation committed Sh3.8 billion ($29.2 million) to Kenya's health sector for fiscal year 2026/2027, representing 18.1% of Kenya's State Department for Medical Services' project budget. This funding originated as emergency support after the Trump administration cut major US global health contracts affecting Kenya, specifically supporting reproductive health and medical services.
• University of Nebraska SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe foundation partners with the University of Nebraska System to operate the Thompson Scholars Learning Community (TSLC) at UNK, UNL, and UNO. This partnership provides academic and social support for Buffett Scholars, including counseling, advisement, faculty interaction, and tutoring services.
• Nebraska Public CollegescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe foundation partners with all 16 Nebraska public colleges including 8 community colleges, 3 state colleges, and 5 University of Nebraska system institutions to deliver scholarship funding to students. Funds are disbursed through college Financial Aid Offices.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Ford Foundation: Major U.S. grantmaking foundation with extensive education and social-justice programming. Comparable as a large, multi-decade foundation with global grantmaking reach and institutional learning infrastructure.
• Gates Foundation: The largest U.S. private foundation, with a major global health and education grantmaking focus. Directly comparable as a philanthropy/foundation peer, though at vastly larger scale and broader programmatic scope.
• Mastercard Foundation: Large global foundation with significant education and youth-employment scholarship programs (e.g., Scholars Program). Comparable as a multi-billion dollar foundation running large-scale scholarship initiatives internationally.

Direct peers

• QuestBridge: Nonprofit that connects high-achieving, low-income students with scholarships at top colleges. Directly comparable as a need-based scholarship intermediary serving a similar low-income student demographic.
• Dell Scholars Program: Need-based scholarship program for low-income, college-bound students with wraparound support services. Closely comparable as a multi-year, need-based scholarship plus support model.
• Jack Kent Cooke Foundation: Major U.S. scholarship provider for high-achieving students with financial need. Directly comparable as a need-based, multi-year college scholarship foundation with renewable awards.
• Howard G. Buffett Foundation: A Buffett-family foundation with overlapping funding sources and global food security / development grantmaking. Most directly comparable peer given shared family sponsorship and grantmaking DNA.
• Coca-Cola Scholars Program: Large, branded U.S. scholarship foundation for high-achieving high school students. Comparable as a competitive, multi-year scholarship provider with strong brand association.
• United Negro College Fund: Major U.S. scholarship and student-support organization serving low-income students and HBCUs. Comparable as a multi-decade, need-based scholarship administrator with wraparound student services.

Regional players

• Sherwood Foundation: Nebraska-based Buffett-family foundation supporting Nebraska education and community initiatives. Closest geographic and familial peer, also focused on Nebraska higher education access.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BuffettScholars
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-susan-thompson-buffett-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation