The GW Investment Institute (GWII) teaches students at the George Washington University how to invest and how to think about investing. GW undergraduate and graduate students learn by doing. Our students serve as analysts and portfolio managers, managing approximately $6.5 million in university endowment funds across four student investment funds covering: equities, real estate, and quantitative investing. The institute also offers a class on venture capital. In the GW School of Business finance classes taught by the GW Investment Institute, students:
• perform equity research, develop an investment thesis, pitch stocks (individually and as a part of a team),
• gain exposure to tools and techniques for building quantitative models,
• learn how to utilize research tools such as: FactSet, Bloomberg, BlackRock’s Aladdin, and PitchBook,
• connect with alumni and industry professionals, and
• qualify to receive a financial award for stellar performance in class.
The GWII has over 1,300 alumni worldwide, many of whom currently work in finance and give back to GWII. Our alumni make contributions by providing guest lectures, mentoring, advising, connections, and donations.
Your financial support for the GW Investment Institute enables real-world learning and networking opportunities for our students. It also improves a student’s experience at GW and contributes to better industry placement.
Funding opportunities
Student competitions and conferences
- $3,000 – GW Stock Pitch Days – sponsor refreshments for 80-100 students per semester as they deliver final pitches for the GWII Student Investment Funds.
- $5,000 – Cornell’s Women in Investing (WIN) Conference – learn more from a blog post written by a GW student Rhys Chambers who took a part in the WIN conference in September 2022.
- $10,000 – McGill’s MIPC Competition – learn more about this conference from a blog post written by GW student Ameen Iraqi.
- $10,000 – Venture Capital Internship – learn more about Venture Capital Internship Program from blog posts written by former beneficiaries of the program Lexington Zografakis (from fall 2021 intern) and Will Aherns (summer 2022 intern).
- $10,000 – Alumni Reception – sponsor an alumni reception for example, in New York City or Washington, D.C.
- $20,000 – Finance Career Trek NYC – finance track to NYC for the top 10 students from our classes.
- $30,000 – Student teaching assistantship per academic year. Support several student Teaching Assistants helping with GWII’s classes.
“The opportunities and experience I received from the GW Investment Institute and Professor Lake were essential to getting my dream job. The class allowed me to be hands-on in the markets, apply my finance background from previous courses into real-time analysis, develop as a public speaker, and my favorite —force me to defend my investment thesis for the portfolio.”
-Jordan Sheinkop, BBA ’17, Goldman Sachs
Sponsorship & Resources
- $25,000 – Lead GWII Conference sponsor
- $30,000 – FactSet annual subscription
- $80,000 – Bloomberg annual subscription
Naming opportunities
- $100,000 – Name endowed scholarship. Thanks to the recent Open Doors: The Centuries Initiative for Scholarships & Fellowships, the named endowed scholarship is now possible with a $50,000 donation.
- $1 million – Name fund and a seat on the GWII Governing Board. Back in 2005 Mr. Russ Ramsey and Ms. Norma Ramsey named GW Ramsey Student Investment Fund.
- $21 million – Name the Institute with over ~$6.5 million in assets under management (as of 11/22/2022).
Advisory Board
- $50,000 Advisory Board membership. We currently have eight advisory board members that meet quarterly and provide guidance to the GWII.
Alumni Advisors
- $1,000 – GWII Alumni Advisor and Luther Rice Society membership.
Endowed Director
- $5 million to endow the Institute Director position. To secure the future of the Institute, funding is required for the position of Director of the Institute.
In the upcoming months the GW Investment Institute will announce a Capital Campaign with a goal to raise $1 million by 2025. Many of these funding opportunities will be included in the campaign.
Your support is much appreciated and every dollar donated to the institute will go toward providing more opportunities for our students.
Ways to donate
1) Donate online HERE
* In the comment section put down: Your desired funding opportunity
2) Send a check
Payable to the George Washington University and mailed to:
The George Washington University
PO Box 98131
Washington, DC 20077-9756
Memo: Your desired funding opportunity
If you have any questions or would like to learn more, please reach out to Bojana (bjankovic@gwu.edu).