UAMS receives $7 million grant from Windgate Foundation for scholarships

by Talk Business & Politics staff ([email protected]) 0 views 

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) received a $7 million grant from the Windgate Foundation.

The grant will provide $1 million in funding for 15 full tuition scholarships — three scholarships in each of UAMS’ five colleges — for the class entering in fall 2027, and an additional $1 million for scholarships for the class entering in fall 2028.

This grant also establishes a $5 million endowment to support the newly created Chancellor’s Scholars Program, an initiative for UAMS students that will provide full tuition and fees in UAMS’ five colleges.

“We are inspired by the Windgate Foundation’s commitment to education and healthcare in Arkansas, and we are phenomenally grateful for their continued support of UAMS,” said UAMS Chancellor C. Lowry Barnes, M.D. “It’s beyond words how transformative this endowment is to UAMS, not only in supporting our students but also in uplifting the state’s healthcare system by helping to create a well-educated workforce.”

The Windgate Foundation, based in Little Rock, is a private foundation established in 1993, whose purpose is to advance contemporary craft and strengthen visual arts education in the United States. Education, health, and community initiatives are an additional area of focus in Arkansas.

“The Windgate Foundation is committed to advancing both education and healthcare in Arkansas, and partnering with UAMS is a meaningful way we can make that happen,” said Patricia Forgy, executive director of the Windgate Foundation. “The Chancellor’s Scholarship Program Endowment is about ensuring that people across our state have access to skilled, compassionate healthcare professionals in their own communities, and we look forward to seeing the difference it will make for Arkansas families.”

The Windgate Foundation has partnered with UAMS since 1996 and has made contributions to the College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy, the Graduate School, the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, the Cord Blood Bank of Arkansas, and endowed chairs in several UAMS departments.

Chancellor’s Scholars will be selected based on academic merit. Applicants must be Arkansas residents and be admitted to an eligible UAMS academic program beginning in fall 2026.