Funding by Area
Honors College
Support bold and forward-thinking
The Honors College works with high-achieving students from every major to build a strong academic foundation while encouraging curiosity, leadership, and a drive to make a difference. Whether you choose to support career readiness, experiential learning, or scholarships, your investment ensures the Honors College remains as bold and forward-thinking as the students it serves.
Summit Scholars Program was inspired by her own NAU experience.
Read moreElevate access for students
Summit Scholars Program
Fundraising goal: $1 million
Designed to attract top students and provide the resources they need to thrive, the Summit Scholars Program offers four years of support including the Lumberjack Scholarship, $10,000 annually for housing and meals, and a fund of up to $4,000 for internships, study abroad, research, or community-based projects. Your gift will establish a named scholarship within the program and support up to four Summit Scholars each year.
Scholarships have played a vital role in Makayla Harmon-McIntosh’s academic pursuit.
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Scholarships
Fundraising goal: $50,000
Every student deserves access to an excellent education—but for many, cost remains the greatest barrier. At NAU, 97 percent of students receive financial aid, ensuring that cost never stands in the way of ambition. A gift of $50,000 supports one student for an academic year; $500,000 supports ten. Your generosity opens doors and gives students the freedom to focus on learning.
Elevate Academic Excellence
Name the Honors College
Fundraising goal: $10 million
A naming gift for the Honors College is an opportunity
to provide transformational support for NAU’s highest-achieving students and some of its most dedicated faculty. Your investment would sustain and grow key programs that define the Honors experience: scholarships, peer tutoring and writing support, career development programming, study abroad and place-based learning, and experiential learning opportunities, including internships. A naming gift ensures that the Honors College remains both exceptional and accessible.
Elevate acAdemic Excellence
100% Career Ready Initiative
Fundraising goal: $2 million
Many high-impact opportunities—such as internships and undergraduate research—are unpaid, limiting access for students who cannot afford to work without compensation. Yet the impact of these experiences is profound. By supporting these experiences, you help ensure that more students can access meaningful, real-world experiences, build confidence, and launch successful careers.
Elevate acAdemic Excellence
Experiential Learning
Fundraising goal: $1 million
Honors students expand their learning beyond classrooms. Your support provides access to real-world experiences that deepen their understanding, sharpen their skills, and shape their futures.
Global Citizens Project Scholars
Through this award-winning program, Honors students learn what it means to be a citizen of the world. After completing a seminar on global citizenship and social responsibility, students explore issues like education, community health, and sustainability in countries such as Italy, Ecuador, and Vietnam.
Grand Canyon Semester
In this multidisciplinary, place-based learning experience, students study in the mountains of northern Arizona and the deep canyon country of the Colorado Plateau through the lenses of science, Indigenous knowledge, history, art, and policy. Participants meet with Tribal leaders and researchers in a number of fields, then complete a final interdisciplinary project rooted in the landscape and their academic goals.
Elevate acAdemic Excellence
Honors Capstone
Fundraising goal: $500,000
Every Honors student completes a capstone project—a sustained scholarly, research, or creative endeavor pursued under close faculty mentorship. These projects result in significant contributions, from designing medical tools for rural clinics to writing bilingual children’s books. Your gift supports project-related expenses such as travel, materials, and research costs, ensuring that no student is limited by financial need when it comes to the scale or impact of their work.
Elevate faculty impact
Endowed Faculty
Fundraising goal: $500,000
Exceptional students need exceptional faculty. Your investment in endowed positions helps the Honors College recruit and retain accomplished teacher-scholars who inspire students, build meaningful community partnerships, and generate research that informs real change.
Elevate faculty impact
Faculty Support Fund
Fundraising goal: $500,000
While endowed positions provide long-term support for faculty roles, the Faculty Support Fund offers flexible, immediate-use resources to enhance the Honors teaching and learning experience. Your support helps fund professional development, research, and the creation of new courses and learning experiences.
Stories of impact
View all A future water leader takes root at NAU
Fueled lived experience, passion, and scholarship support, Makayla Harmon-McIntosh is building a future in water policy.
Alumna’s gift supports Honors College students
A $1 million gift establishes the Summit Scholars program to support Arizona’s highest-achieving students at NAU.
Unrestricted gift propels NAU forward
Gift inspired by NAU’s commitment to academic excellence and promotion of critical thinking.