Click here to see a video of Heller students working to
assist victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Why Give?

A gift to the Heller School is an investment in a better world, because Heller alumni are united in their values of improving conditions for vulnerable populations. Whether that be running micro-finance programs in Rwanda to give women an opportunity to achieve financial independence, or running large federal agencies in the U.S., Heller-trained professionals are using their knowledge to advance social justice. Ranked at number three among schools of social policy in the most recent U.S. News and World Report edition of the best graduate schools in the country, the Heller School earns its reputation each day through the rigor with which it trains its students, the research of its faculty and their engagement in today’s most pressing social issues. Every gift to Brandeis University earmarked for the Heller School, no matter its size, makes a difference.

Major gifts are vitally important to the future of the Heller School. When you make a significant commitment, you enter into a partnership with Heller that can produce far-reaching benefits. Donors of major gifts have established named endowments for fellowships that support students and offer prestige and motivation to each student who holds a named fellowship.

Recently, the contributions of generous philanthropists created a new state-of-the-art facility which will double the size of the Heller School. The Irving Schneider and Family building, which opened on November 3, 2006, has transformed the environment of the school. A variety of naming opportunities exist in the Schneider building and in the soon-to-be-renovated Heller-Brown building. By fall 2007, the state-of-the-art Heller School complex will take its place on the Brandeis campus.

Ways You Can Give

You can write a check, charge your gift on the web via online giving, create a gift annuity or bequest or transfer assets such as equities.

Making a planned gift may allow you to give more than you ever thought possible and, at the same time, benefit from tax advantages or income for life. Planned or deferred gift options include bequests, annuities, and trusts. We encourage you to contact us to discuss how your gift can have the greatest impact or to explore the best manner for you to make your gift.

The Heller Alumni Annual Fund is used exclusively to support students' needs and provides emergency tuition, support to present original work at professional meetings, and funding for attendance at an alternative spring break, which unites students from all programs in a community service project.

Popular Funds

• Heller Alumni Annual Fund

  The Heller Alumni Annual Fund is used exclusively for student support. Students apply to the fund for grants to offset the cost of required textbooks, support dissertation research, attend professional meetings related to their graduate work, and present papers at conferences. Students are informed that this support is made possible by generous Heller alumni. Your gift to this fund builds a true sense of appreciation among current students and is an important element in promoting philanthropic attitudes among those who are its beneficiaries. The fund is a lifesaver for students, sometimes supplying emergency tuition when promised support doesn’t materialize, allowing students who cannot afford it to purchase required reading materials for their courses, and allowing students to attend professional meetings where information, job networking or presenting original research connects them with colleagues around the world. Dissertation grants are one important resource in promoting the successful and higher-quality dissertations. 60% of recent Ph.D. graduates received an award that assisted in their degree completion.

• Book Bag Award

  Remember when you were a Heller student, confronted with purchasing books after you thought your budget had accommodated all it could handle? One creative alumna, Diane Disney, Ph.D. ‘89, came up with this idea - a $250 donation to Heller's Alumni Annual Fund to defray the cost of course book purchases. The student will be notified of your gift that allows him or her the gift of books.

  Recipients are chosen through a brief application process. Ten to fifteen students receive these awards each semester. Over 50 apply.

• Altman Fellowship for Health Policy & Management

  The Altman Endowed Health Policy and Management Fellowship was begun to honor Stuart Altman and was instituted at the gala celebrating Dean Altman’s 25 years at Brandeis in 2003. Generous donors contributed over $600,000 to support the gala and the Fellowship. Donors continue to support this prestigious fellowship awarded to a master's or doctoral student in the health concentration. Donations to this fund honor the life’s work of Dean Altman and promote recruitment of the most talented students interested in health policy and health care management.

• Chaikin Fellowship

  The Chaikin Fellowship is given to a doctoral student whose research and study is in the area of children and families. Sol Chick Chaikin, a labor organizer and Brandeis Trustee, was the Chair of the Heller Board of Overseers until his death in 1991. His wife, Ros Chaikin, remains a member of the Heller Board of Overseers.

• Judith Krieger Gardner Memorial Scholarship Fund

  The Judith Krieger Gardner Memorial Fund honors the memory of Judy Gardner, a beloved and inspirational teacher, researcher, colleague, and friend. Her career was dedicated to the generation of new knowledge and its practical application. She possessed an enduring passion for the health and well-being of children, and a deep respect for the challenges parents face in contemporary American society.

  As a member of the Heller School faculty, Judy was particularly devoted to the students who sought her intellectual guidance and emotional support throughout their graduate school experience. This endowment in her memory allows Heller to continue Judy's work on behalf of children and families. Grants from the Fund support graduate students and a Judy’s Day Seminar sponsored to highlight children's issues and keep Professor Gardner's work and spirit alive at the Heller School.

• Heller Alumni Lounge

  Thanks to the generosity of Heller alumni and friends, over $150,000 was raised for a student study lounge in the new Irving Schneider and Family Building. A recognition plaque listing those who donated $1,000 or more is displayed in the lounge, which is named the Heller Alumni Lounge.

• Mironda Heston Memorial Fund

  On September 21, 2004, Mironda Heston, M.A. '04, lost her battle with dengue fever, which she contracted while on assignment in Haiti. The Mironda Heston Memorial Fund was established by the SID class of 2004 as a way to keep Mironda's commitment to Haiti and its people alive. This fund will support a second-year internship project in Haiti. Currently, a gift that will match any donation 2:1 up to $10,000 (total) increases the impact of your gift to this fund.

• Wyatt Jones Fellowship Fund

  Wyatt Jones was an inspirational teacher and mentor to generations of Heller doctoral students, and was himself a generous philanthropist. To honor his many years of teaching and leadership, the Wyatt Jones fund has provided a fellowship each year to a deserving doctoral student and will continue to do so in perpetuity.

• Professor James Schulz Fund

  The James H. Schulz fund, created by many loyal students to honor Professor Shulz’s renowned career, is a dissertation fund to assist Heller students in the completion of high-quality work. This fund was initiated upon Professor Schulz's retirement. If it reaches $50,000 it can be endowed in perpetuity.

• Jack P. Shonkoff Fellowship for Child and Family Policy

  To celebrate and honor Dean Shonkoff's 11-year tenure at the the Heller School, the Heller Board of Overseers, in conjunction with faculty, staff and admirers, pooled their resources to create a fellowship fund that will contribute to the education of a Heller School student each year who is concentrating in child and family policy.

• Barbara Wakefield Memorial Scholarship Fund

  Barbara Wakefield, a beloved finance administrator at the Heller School until her death in 1996, demonstrated a strong commitment to the well-being of Heller students. Her legacy continues this commitment though the scholarship established in her name.

  This scholarship is awarded annually to one graduate student whose work is in the field of women and/or aging.