Building A Greater World
A GREATER WORLD
Hungry for Change
World-renowned chef, author, and humanitarian José Andrés, HON ‘14, has deepened his longstanding partnership with GW to change the world through the power of food. Recognizing the integral role food plays in society, Andrés and GW launched the Global Food Institute (GFI) in 2023. Interdisciplinary work across policy, innovation, and humanity will guide the institute in transforming how we grow, distribute, consume, and think about food.
Faculty and students from every school and college, alumni, industry leaders, policymakers, and renowned experts will convene at the Global Food Institute to advance solutions for our global food system.
“Food has the power to solve problems: it can rebuild lives and communities, heal both people and the planet and create hope for the future, but only if we think bigger,”
said Andrés. “The Global Food Institute will reshape how we think about food, break down barriers across industries, politics, and nations, and inspire and empower the next generation to develop systemic solutions that reshape the food system.”
A founding gift from Andrés made GFI possible with additional financial support from the Rockefeller Foundation, and Secretary of the Board of Trustees Ave Tucker, BBA ‘77, and Dianne Bostick. A significant contribution from GW Board of Trustees Chair Emeritus Nelson Carbonell Jr., BS ‘85, HON ‘21, and his wife Michele, will endow the inaugural Executive Director, who will bring the Global Food Initiative to life. “We can—more important, we must—put food at the heart of creating a better world,” Andrés said.
Greater World Philanthropy in Action
A Decade for Women & Girls
For 10 years the GW Global Women’s Institute (GWI) has built the global evidence base on violence against women and girls and advanced gender equality by bridging research and action. This critical work will continue with support from the GWI Catalyst Fund created in 2022 by GW parents Lauren and Austin Fite.
Building Diversity in STEM
The National Institute of Standards and Technology awarded GW Engineering with $29.9 million to create GW’s Professional Research Experience Program (PREP), offering unique research opportunities with a focus on recruiting talent from underrepresented groups in STEM.
$4M for Student Innovation
Since 2010, GW’s New Venture Competition has awarded millions in both cash and in-kind prizes to entrepreneurial students working to solve the world’s issues. In 2023, nearly 30 alumni and corporate donors contributed to the competition to launch student startups.
GW Alumni in Congress
12 GW alumni serve in the 118th Congress with 3 newly elected to the House in 2022: Graduate School of Political Management’s Erin Houchin (R-IN-09), MPS ’12; Columbian College’s Jared Moskowitz (D-FL-23), BA ’03; and the Elliott School’s Jill Tokuda (D-HI-02), BA ’98.
Advocating for Equality
The George Washington University Institute for Racial, Ethnic and Socioeconomic Equity is a new champion for community-based research partnerships to advance social justice. The Equity Institute has funded a dozen interdisciplinary projects in its first year on topics including electric vehicles and health care, mental health and parental incarceration, international perspectives on sexual violence, and immigrant labor and the meat packing industry. Learn more at equityinstitute.gwu.edu
