What Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation does

The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation is a federally endowed, independent agency established by the U.S. Congress via Public Law 99-661 on November 14, 1986, to serve as a living memorial to Senator Barry Goldwater. The Foundation's core function is identifying, encouraging, and financially supporting outstanding college sophomores and juniors pursuing research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering. It administers a single, nationally recognized scholarship program that disburses approximately $2.5 million annually, with 454 scholarships awarded for the 2026-2027 academic year and 11,616 cumulative scholarships since inception. Candidates are nominated through a network of over 1,500 Campus Representatives at 482 participating academic institutions, from an estimated pool of more than 5,000 eligible undergraduates.

The Foundation's core product is the Barry Goldwater Scholarship itself, supplemented by the Goldwater Scholar Community (GSC), an internal alumni network of over 3,000 members established in 2018 that provides mentorship, professional development, and peer networking. Technology infrastructure consists of a proprietary online application and nomination portal operated through apply.scholarsapply.org/barrygoldwater/, used by students, nominators, and Campus Representatives. The Foundation partners with UWorld for medical-research supplementary scholarships (MCAT prep, USMLE Step 1 access, up to $7,500 financial support) and with the Department of Defense's National Defense Education Program (NDEP) for funding tied to national security STEM talent development. Operational administration is outsourced to Scholarship America, with additional support from Arnold and Porter (legal), GSA OCFO (financial management), and DOI IBC (shared services).

The Foundation's business model is a federally endowed, non-profit structure. It does not sell products or services; rather, it receives federal appropriations and supplemental partner contributions to disburse scholarships. The 13-member Board of Trustees (8 presidential appointees with Senate consent, 4 members of Congress, 1 Secretary of Education) provides governance. The President, John Mateja, serves as Executive Secretary. There is no equity, no revenue-per-customer metric, and no conventional pricing model — the entity's "customers" are scholarship recipients, and institutional stability is grounded in statutory authority rather than market position. Outcomes are strong: 75% of scholars pursue PhDs, 88% actively conduct research, 64% have publications, and 54% receive additional prestigious national fellowships.

Name

Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation

Legal name

Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation

Website

https://goldwaterscholarship.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation is a federally endowed, independent agency established by Congress in 1986 that awards approximately $2.5 million in annual scholarships to outstanding college sophomores and juniors pursuing research careers in STEM fields across 482 U.S. institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Scholarship Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

Keywords

• Stem undergraduate scholarships
• Research scholarship foundation
• National merit awards
• Scholarship program administration
• Undergraduate research funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Alexandria

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Federal Endowment: The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation is a federally endowed, independent agency established by Congress in 1986. As a government endowment, it receives federal funding to support scholarship awards to undergraduate students pursuing research careers in science, engineering, and mathematics.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Foundation administers the Barry Goldwater Scholarship Program, the preeminent national undergraduate award for college sophomores and juniors pursuing research careers in the natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics. It identifies, encourages, and financially supports outstanding undergraduates with scholarships (averaging $2.5 million annually across 454 annual awards) and connects them to a network of over 3,000 Goldwater Scholars through the Goldwater Scholar Community (GSC).

Product overview

The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation operates as a single, unified scholarship program for exceptional undergraduate students in STEM fields. The core offering is the Barry Goldwater Scholarship itself, which provides financial support and recognition to college sophomores and juniors pursuing research careers. The Foundation also maintains the Goldwater Scholar Community (GSC), a mentorship and professional development network for award recipients. Additionally, the Foundation partners with external organizations like UWorld to provide supplementary product scholarships and resources for scholars focused on medical research careers. The program is administered through an online application and nomination system accessible to students and Campus Representatives at participating institutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Goldwater Scholar Community (GSC): A network of Goldwater Scholars helping Scholars, providing mentorship, professional development, and connections with like-minded peers. The GSC Council runs multiple initiatives to foster community among Scholars.

Products and services

• Barry Goldwater Scholarship Program A prestigious national scholarship awarded to outstanding college sophomores and juniors pursuing research careers in science, engineering, and mathematics. The program identifies, encourages, and financially supports talented undergraduates who demonstrate exceptional potential to become the next generation of research leaders in fields essential to national security and global competitiveness.
• Goldwater Scholar Community (GSC) A network of over 3,000 Goldwater Scholars that fosters mentorship, professional development, and connections among scholars at all stages. The GSC Council runs multiple initiatives to fulfill its mission of promoting diversity and inclusion in the scholarship applicant pool.
• UWorld Partnership Scholarship Support A partnership with UWorld providing financial and product scholarships to Goldwater Scholars pursuing medical research careers, including complimentary MCAT prep courses, USMLE Step 1 question bank access, and up to $7,500 in financial support for qualifying M.D./Ph.D. and D.O./Ph.D. recipients.

Quantifiable outcome

• 75% of today's Scholars are currently working on a PhD
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UWorldcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2024UWorld has partnered with the Goldwater Foundation for the third consecutive year (since 2024-25 academic year) providing financial and product scholarships to Goldwater Scholars pursuing medical research careers. UWorld has provided nearly $250,000 in resources and supported 255 scholars total through this initiative as of 2026-27 academic year. Seven UWorld-supported Goldwater Scholars receive complimentary MCAT prep courses, access to USMLE Step 1 question banks, and up to $7,500 in financial support.
• Scholarship AmericacoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerScholarship America manages the operational administration of the Foundation. They provide scholarship management services including processing and disbursement of awards.
• Arnold and PorterminorOthersLegal services partner listed as part of the Foundation's operational support team.
• GSA OCFOminorOthersGovernment Services Administration Office of the Chief Financial Officer provides financial management support to the Foundation.
• DOI IBCminorOthersDepartment of the Interior Interior Business Center provides shared services support to the Foundation.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Direct peers

• Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation: Private foundation funding undergraduate STEM research through the Beckman Young Investigator and Beckman Scholars programs. Most directly comparable peer because both target undergraduate STEM research talent with nationally competitive scholarship selection processes.
• National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP): Federally funded STEM fellowship program supporting graduate students pursuing research-based master's and doctoral degrees. Comparable as a federally established, nationally prestigious STEM research fellowship with similar selection rigor and scholar outcome tracking.
• Fannie and John Hertz Foundation: Private foundation awarding multi-year graduate fellowships to exceptional PhD students in the applied physical, biological, and engineering sciences. Comparable as a STEM-focused, nationally prestigious research fellowship feeding top graduate programs.
• Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation: Foundation supporting chemistry research and education through faculty awards, teacher-scholar awards, and graduate fellowship programs. Comparable as a foundation channeling philanthropic capital into STEM research talent pipelines across US higher education.
• Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans: Graduate fellowship program supporting immigrants and children of immigrants pursuing graduate study in the US. Comparable as a highly selective national fellowship with strong scholar outcomes and an active alumni network that supports career advancement.
• Marshall Scholarships: British government-funded scholarship for US graduates to study in the UK. Comparable as a nationally prestigious, government-endowed scholarship with rigorous selection, strong scholar outcomes, and a documented pipeline into further prestigious fellowships.
• Winston Churchill Foundation of the United States: Provides scholarships for US students to pursue graduate study in STEM fields at the University of Cambridge. Comparable as a highly selective, nationally prestigious STEM research scholarship with strong selection caliber and documented scholar outcomes.

Broad incumbents

• Howard Hughes Medical Institute: Large biomedical research organization funding scientists and undergraduate programs (including HHMI Science Education grants). Overlaps with Goldwater's mission of supporting biomedical STEM talent but operates at much larger scale across the research pipeline.
• Rhodes Trust: Administers the Rhodes Scholarship for US and international students to study at Oxford. Comparable as an elite national scholarship brand with an active global alumni network, though broader in scope beyond STEM.
• Jack Kent Cooke Foundation: Foundation providing scholarships and educational support to high-achieving students with financial need across all disciplines. Adjacent as a national scholarship foundation but broader in scope than Goldwater's STEM-research focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BarryGoldwaterScholarship

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation