skip to content
Home

Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program

 

News Subscribe to News

Read more at: Meet the 2025/26 Scholar Representatives
Mastercard Foundation Scholars Tadalisika Zulu and Elishammah Nyaba Ghany

Meet the 2025/26 Scholar Representatives

20 October 2025

2025/26 Scholar Representatives, Tadalisika Zulu and Elishammah Nyaba Ghany share their motivations for taking on the role and the best piece of advice they’ve been given so far.

Read more at: First Rwandan Students join the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at the University of Cambridge
Rwandan Mastercard Foundation Scholars Jacqueline Niyodusenga and Mathias Bizimana

First Rwandan Students join the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at the University of Cambridge

17 October 2025

Jacqueline Niyodusenga and Mathias Bizimana are the first Rwandan students to join the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at the University of Cambridge.

Read more at: Applications for the 2026/2027 academic year are now open
Mastercard Foundation Scholars at the welcome dinner

Applications for the 2026/2027 academic year are now open

12 September 2025

We’re pleased to announce that applications for the 2026/2027 academic year are now open. Join one of our webinars to find out more.

Read more at: Bridging innovation and impact: strengthening food systems and smallholder resilience in South Sudan
Mastercard Foundation Scholar Lagu Emmanuel Anthony at the Duxford NIAB trial grounds

Bridging innovation and impact: strengthening food systems and smallholder resilience in South Sudan

9 September 2025

Lagu Emmanuel Anthony explains why empowering South Sudan’s smallholder farmers is crucial for a sustainable future — and how the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program inspired him to take action.

Read more at: Climate solutions: The student with a cool idea for building design
Competition winner Hauwa with certificate

Climate solutions: The student with a cool idea for building design

14 August 2025

As the world grapples with rising temperatures, a Mastercard Foundation Scholar has devised a novel way to help keep buildings cool in the heat.

Read more at: Mastercard Foundation innovators turn climate crisis into opportunity
Two female students making a presentation, with their presentation projected on the screen in the background.

Mastercard Foundation innovators turn climate crisis into opportunity

23 June 2025

Our Entrepreneurship Prize supports Mastercard Foundation Scholars in developing social ventures that address critical climate and community needs across Africa.

Read more at: Peace Chisom Aniakor on film as a force for good
Mastercard Foundation Scholar Peace Chisom Aniakor

Peace Chisom Aniakor on film as a force for good

22 May 2025

Peace Chisom Aniakor is passionate about film and its power to help tackle the world’s most complex problems. She tells us what sparked her passion and how film can be a force for good.

Read more at: ‘From scholar to changemaker’ – the transitions workshop
Mastercard Foundation Scholars Transitions Workshop

‘From scholar to changemaker’ – the transitions workshop

20 May 2025

Supporting students as they plan for life after their master’s is a fundamental part of the programme. Our transitions workshop on 10 May gave participants the chance to discuss and sharpen their plans.

Read more at: A humbling and empowering experience: Winning first place at the Sustainable Development in Africa Conference
Mastercard Foundation Scholar Favour Peters with conference team on stage

A humbling and empowering experience: Winning first place at the Sustainable Development in Africa Conference

9 May 2025

Hosted by the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver, the annual Sustainable Development in Africa Conference explores the multifaceted challenges facing the African continent and proposes contextual solutions for sustainable development. Against the backdrop of a changing global order –...

Read more at: Simiso Shabangu: My journey from Eswatini to Kenya, via Cambridge
Mastercard Foundation Alumna Simiso Shabangu

Simiso Shabangu: My journey from Eswatini to Kenya, via Cambridge

7 April 2025

Even though I did not know the academic term, I was always convinced that human prosperity was not just about the individual, but largely about the system within which they operate. For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to help create systems that allow people to thrive. After graduating from Cambridge last year with...

Contact us

For all enquiries, please contact The Scholarship Programme Administrator, Mastercard Foundation, Upper Ground Floor, 17 Mill Lane, Cambridge CB2 1RX, UK.

Our Partner

Study at Cambridge

About the University

Research at Cambridge