Internships are increasingly important to high-achieving college students, but many offer little or no pay, an obstacle for those with financial need. Thanks to the Kravis Opportunity Fund, a $25-million gift from Trustee Henry R. Kravis ’67 and the Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Foundation, students are guaranteed funding for their first summer internship. Established in 2018, the Opportunity Fund ensures that the full breadth of a CMC education is within reach for every student, increasing access through a range of benefits and support structures.

Along with guaranteeing paid internships, the fund also expands financial aid more broadly for students. It increases capacity for CMC’s Scholar Community program and relieves the calculation of home equity in financial aid in order to attract more middle-income families.

Through the Kravis Opportunity Fund, students can receive funding to cover necessities that help them participate in the full CMC experiences—whether sturdy shoes for an outdoor orientation treks or a suit for internship interviews, to a trip home for Thanksgiving, or just a Target run for school supplies, KOF helps students bridge the funding gap.

“There is so much more to the college experience than what you learn in a classroom,” Kravis says, “and it is a real honor for Marie-Josée and me to help promising students to be able to take full advantage of all that Claremont McKenna has to offer.”