About Us
‘Graduates can expect to be over £100,000 better off over their lifetime than non-graduates.’
– Institute for Fiscal Studies, 2020
We partner with UK universities, who pledge fee places, and fundraise to ‘unlock’ places with maintenance grants, to offer fully-funded scholarships for Black British students at undergraduate level for the duration of their degree course.
The Foundation Team
The Cowrie Scholarship Foundation is led by individuals committed to changing Higher Education and corporate diversity: the Foundation particularly encompasses and harnesses the strength of academics, universities and corporate partners.
Led by a team of trustees and volunteers who are experts in their fields, Cowrie’s Chair is Professor Richard Oreffo, an academic at the University of Southampton for 25 years, with lived experience as a Black British academic.
Why ‘Cowrie’?
The foundation was named after the cowrie shell, one of the most successful and universal forms of currency in the world. Cowrie is the common name for a group of sea snails, in the family Cypraeidae. They are most abundant in the Indian Ocean.
The cowrie became the main currency along the trade routes of West Africa by the 18th century. Cowrie currency then remained as a means of payment until the 20th century. Learn more about cowrie shells.
Why those symbols?
Adinkra are symbols from Ghana – many of these symbols represent the values of the Foundation and you will see them feature across our website.
What We Do
Who We Are
News
Current Vacancies
Error: No feed with the ID 1 found.
Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to create a feed.