Supporting University of Georgia students, faculty, facilities, and programs since 1974. 

The Richard B. Russell Foundation, Inc. is a private, non-profit corporation that provides financial support for the collection and preservation of research and educational materials documenting modern Georgia’s political and public policy history as well as financial support to students and teachers at the University of Georgia.    

Since its inception, the Russell Foundation has contributed over $8 million to fund nearly 200 scholarships and fellowships, 92 teaching awards, 2 professorships, a premiere research library, and other educational and leadership programs.    

The Russell Foundation preserves the legacy of the United States Senator Richard Brevard Russell, Jr. and the contributions he made to the welfare of the state and nation during his fifty-year public service career.  

Richard B. Russell, Jr. circa 1947

Richard B. Russell, Jr. circa 1947

Board of Trustees

* denotes former chairperson  Board of Trustees Joselyn B. Baker  Otis A. Brumby, III  Charles E. (Charlie) Harman  Hamilton E. Holmes, Jr. Steve C. Jones  Keith W. Mason  Ceasar C. Mitchell, Jr.  Luke R. Moses  John J. (Jay) Neely, III W. H. (Dink…
Learn More

Foundation Mission and History

Mission Statement  The purpose of this Foundation is set out in Article 4 of its Articles of Incorporation dated June 26, 1970. Its commitments to the estate of the late Richard B. Russell, Jr., are set out in a conveyance of his documents from his estate dated May 8, 1973, under which the…
Learn More

The Russell Foundation provided financial support for a Georgia Commitment Scholarship. This scholarship provides four years of tuition for a student from rural Georgia.

This annual, cohort-based program helps first and second year UGA students develop leadership skills, interact with campus and community leaders, and learn more about the social issues facing the campus, community, state, nation, and world.

The Russell Foundation awards annual scholarships to four active members of UGA’s Georgia Debate Union.

The Russell Foundation established the Richard B. Russell Distinguished Law Fellowship in 2017. This fellowship provides three years of tuition for a UGA Law student.

The Russell Foundation established the Richard B. Russell Distinguished Professor of Public Policy in 2005.

Upon the Russell Library’s relocation to the Richard B. Russell Building in 2012, the Russell Foundation contributed $1 million to the Library to supplement the planning, preparing, and conducting of programming.

The Russell Foundation sponsors the annual Richard B. Russell Moot Court Competition.

Since 1971, the Russell Foundation has contributed more than $1 million to fund a professorship in American history at the University of Georgia.

The Russell Foundation contributes annually to the UGA Center for International Trade and Security’s Security Leadership Program.

Since the early 1990s, the Russell Foundation has awarded two scholarships to UGA Blue Key National Honor Society members who have demonstrated leadership ability and potential.

The Russell Foundation established three teaching awards in 1992 to recognize excellent undergraduate instruction by early career faculty members.

The Two-Party Georgia Oral History Project has assembled a diverse cast to tell the inside story behind the rise of the Republican Party, the Democratic response, and the creation of a two-party political system in Georgia while showcasing the personal experiences of candidates,

The Russell Foundation has contributed annually to the UGA Washington Semester Program’s since its inception in 2008