Thomas Payette Financial Aid Fund Launched

We are pleased to share that our newly created Thomas Payette Financial Aid Fund was celebrated at this year’s Harvard University Graduate School of Design Fellowship reception. The event brings together GSD donors with students who have benefited from their financial aid gifts, along with faculty and staff, to share a deep appreciation for the support of next generation of leaders who will mold the strategies and structures to confront global challenges.

The fund was established and shared at the event by Payette President and CEO Kevin Sullivan and Principals David Feth and Leon Drachman, all fellow GSD alumni.  

The fund honors the legacy of Payette Founder and GSD 1960 alumni Thomas Payette. When Tom was attending Harvard GSD, he was also working a full-time job as a structural engineer due to financial circumstances. As explained by Kevin Sullivan, “We hope the Fund will help assure that many talented students will have the ability to study at the GSD if they need financial assistance, and hopefully, they will not have to work full-time like Tom if they choose to go, or far worse, decide not to attend.”

This new Fund is an important part of the Grounded Visionaries campaign goal to make a GSD education more accessible and provide graduating students with the freedom to make career choices based on their passions, rather than their financial obligations to pay back student loans.

Learn more about Harvard University Graduate School of Design and the Thomas Payette Finanical Aid Fund.