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An initiative of Schmidt Futures
and the Rhodes Trust

This is what
brilliant
looks like

Rise is a program that finds brilliant people who need opportunity and supports them as they work to serve others for life.

An initiative of Schmidt Futures and the Rhodes Trust, Rise is the anchor program of a $1 billion commitment from Eric and Wendy Schmidt to find and support global talent.

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What makes Rise Different?

Monique Therese Mabasa Cheng smiling at camera

Rise is for life.

We offer benefits that make Rise one of the largest award programs for individuals in the world.

Thomas Pierre Grattoni-May smiling at camera

Rise is a global community.

We connect talent from over 170 countries, with inaugural Global Winners hailing from 42 countries across 6 continents.

Shellane Ashley Shettleworth smiling at camera

Rise looks for brilliance.

We look for hidden brilliance, in whatever form it takes, wherever it is in the world.

About our
Rise program

Rise is a program that finds brilliant people who need opportunity and supports them as they work to serve others for life. The program starts at ages 15–17 and offers benefits including scholarships, mentorship, access to career development opportunities, funding, and more as Global Winners work toward solving humanity’s most pressing problems. 

An initiative of Schmidt Futures and the Rhodes Trust, Rise is the anchor program of a $1 billion commitment from Eric and Wendy Schmidt to find and support global talent.

Read about the Program

A collage of 3 images: headshots of Hawi Annette Odhiambo, Guilherme Ricci Coube, and Laura Ribeiro Fernandes do Rosário all smiling at the camera.

Apply to Rise

Rise uses videos, projects, and group interviews so you can showcase your potential. Apply for the opportunity to receive benefits to build a better world.

Apply Now

Globe graphic with a geographical pin on Kenya

UWC is immensely proud to partner with Rise in expanding educational opportunities to students from refugee backgrounds, including Kakuma Refugee Camp, based in my home country Kenya. Education is a gift like no other and it is also a human right. Conflicts, wars and injustice deny millions of children their right to education and jeopardize their wider development efforts… Thank you, Rise, for partnering with UWC to give the young people in Kakuma Camp and other refugee settings the ‘education power’ to realize their own dreams and shape their visions for peace, development and sustainability.

MUSIMBI KANYORO
CHAIR OF THE UNITED WORLD COLLEGES INTERNATIONAL BOARD

At Global Citizen Year, we've learned firsthand the power of identifying exceptional young people on the cusp of adulthood, and helping them find their people, their purpose and their power to transform the world. This is why we're so excited to partner with Rise as they bring new resources to unlock talent and potential at a global scale. Working together, we can build a movement to launch the leaders our world needs now.

ABBY FALIK
FOUNDER & CEO OF GLOBAL CITIZEN YEAR, UNITED STATES

Today, we face a multitude of global challenges that require courage, imagination, passion, and resilience to solve. It is therefore hugely exciting that Rise is identifying and supportIng the next generation of talented problem-solvers who can help address these challenges.

FRED SWANIKER
FOUNDER OF AFRICAN LEADERSHIP GROUP, SOUTH AFRICA & KENYA

By joining Rise, we will support young people in Germany and beyond to implement their ideas for a better future. The German Foundation for Integration is proud to become a member of a global network of like-minded organizations and contribute with its long-term experience in the areas of migration, equal access to education, and anti-discrimination. I am convinced that this diverse community of talents will create a significant positive impact.

CHRISTIAN WULFF
FORMER FEDERAL PRESIDENT OF GERMANY & CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF GERMAN FOUNDATION FOR INTEGRATION, GERMANY

So often, it is the young people who see the future and make it happen, who are restless to rectify the shortcomings of those who came before them, and to make the world a better place not just for themselves but for everyone. This program helps these future thinkers and doers to see themselves as givers, too.

ANGELA DUCKWORTH
AUTHOR AND PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY AT UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, UNITED STATES

Education breaks the cycle of economic disadvantage and creates the citizens of tomorrow—that’s the wonder of investing in youth. By partnering with Rise, the Public Education Foundation extends a wonderful opportunity to Australian students to go further, spread their wings and change the world for the better! After all, the world of tomorrow is in the hands of the youth of today.

DAVID HETHERINGTON
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE PUBLIC EDUCATION FOUNDATION, AUSTRALIA

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If you have questions about Rise, reach out to our team!

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