Where Bold Initiatives Support Healthier Ecosystems
Threats to biodiversity in our environment are ever-evolving. To counter these threats and protect our endangered species, we’ve forged an important partnership: the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) and George Mason University established the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation (SMSC).
At the SMSC, learning happens on the frontlines of biodiversity preservation, where it matters most. A powerful collaboration between George Mason University and the Smithsonian Institution, SMSC trains the next generation of conservationists through immersive, field-based experiences at a one-of-a-kind campus in Front Royal, Virginia.
Philanthropic support sustains and expands SMSC’s programs, helping us reach more students, launch bold new research, and extend our impact to threatened habitats around the world.
With a deep passion for wildlife and extensive scientific collaborations with the Smithsonian, other zoos, and government agencies, it is critical that we develop next-generation leaders in biodiversity conservation through innovative education, training, and research.
Why SMSC? Why Now? Why You?
By funding a range of hands-on, interdisciplinary conservation programs for students at all levels as well as professional conservationists, scholars, and researchers, you are contributing to a larger vision for the future.
- Redefining how students learn conservation science by immersing them in the real challenges of today.
- Ensuring continued access to lab-based courses, experiential fieldwork, George Mason’s educational innovation, and Smithsonian-level mentorship that can’t be found anywhere else.
SMSC research doesn’t stay in the classroom. From tracking climate shifts to supporting community-based wildlife management, our students and alumni lead environmental initiatives across sectors from policy and academia to NGOs and global agencies.
Your support of SMSC scholarships enables us to recognize students who show academic achievement, financial need, and unique interests. Help us train the visionary leaders tomorrow’s planet will depend on. Your support matters for all these reasons and more.
