A decade of learning and community impact
The past decade demonstrated what could be achieved when access to education was combined with ethical leadership development, community engagement and a commitment to inclusion.
From tackling local challenges to inspiring innovation and strengthening communities, Mastercard Foundation Scholars showed how learning could create impact far beyond the classroom.
Transforming the University of Edinburgh
This partnership has also transformed the University of Edinburgh itself. It has influenced policy, reshaped practice, and deepened institutional understanding of equity, belonging, and support for a diverse international student community. Mastercard Foundation Scholars have challenged the University to think more critically about whose voices, research, and perspectives are represented in teaching, helping to strengthen the presence of African and Global South perspectives across the institution.
Looking ahead: opening new pathways
As the programme enters its next chapter, it will continue to be guided by Mastercard Foundation Scholars and grounded in the realities young people face. New activities will be meaningfully designed with inclusive impact in mind: expanding even more scholarship opportunities to refugee and disabled learners, creating new pathways into online study, piloting Learning Hubs in Africa, supporting entrepreneurial AI solutions for climate action, and embedding greater environmental responsibility into its work.
A future shaped by transformative leaders
In a rapidly changing world, the case for empowering talented, justice-oriented, and community-rooted leaders has never been stronger. The next chapter of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program will build on 10 years of impact with a renewed sense of possibility - continuing to open doors, remove barriers, and support a generation of transformative leaders determined to create a more just and sustainable future.