Brazilian Billionaire Funds Financial Aid

The Lemann Foundation, a philanthropic organization created by Brazilian billionaire Jorge P. Lemann ’61, will give additional financial aid money to Harvard students from Brazil.

The donation will build on Lemann’s years of support for Brazilian students at Harvard. In 2007, he endowed Harvard’s then-year-old Brazilian Studies program for an unspecified sum—the first major donation during University President Drew G. Faust’s tenure. Lemann also funds nearly 100 fellowships for students across Harvard’s graduate schools who intend to work in Brazil’s public sector.

Lemann’s most recent gift, an undisclosed amount, will support financial aid for students from Brazil, a population that has grown “fourfold” over the past 10 years, according to a press release this week. Sixteen students from Brazil were enrolled at the College during the 2014-2015 academic year.

“This year alone, more than 300 Harvard students conducted research in Brazil — exploring everything from climate change in the Amazon rainforest to improving educational systems in the fast-growing urban centers,” Faust said in a statement. “With the Lemann Foundation’s continued support, this important work will continue for generations to come.”

The gift also includes a provision for projects based in or relating to Brazil, offered with the the help of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies.

The gift comes during Harvard’s record-setting capital campaign. The University recently met its $6.5 billion goal, a higher education record; Harvard will continue the fundraising effort for the next two years.

—Staff writer Andrew M. Duehren can be reached at andy.duehren@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @aduehren.

—Staff writer Daphne C. Thompson can be reached at daphne.thompson@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @daphnectho.