This year, Harvard Business School (HBS) proudly celebrates 40 years of Kraft Family Fellowships—a visionary commitment that has empowered nearly 200 MBA Program students to access a world-class business education, regardless of their financial background.

In 1985, Robert Kraft (MBA 1965) created the Robert K. Kraft Fellowship Fund to ensure that promising students from underrepresented and lower-income backgrounds could afford the transformative experience of an HBS education. That generosity, rooted in Kraft’s own journey from modest beginnings in Brookline, Massachusetts, has since evolved into a legacy of opportunity and impact.

In high school, Kraft would regularly visit HBS by riding his bike to campus and eventually befriending then-Assistant Dean Richard Chapin (MBA 1949), who urged him to apply to the School. Kraft did just that and entered HBS after graduating in 1963 from Columbia University, which he had attended on a full academic scholarship.

“I always had [HBS] in the back of my mind, but I knew that financially it would be out of reach,” Kraft reflects. His dream became a reality thanks to a full academic fellowship, which he has described as “one of the most special days of my life.”

In 2022, Robert Kraft and Jonathan Kraft (MBA 1990), president of the Kraft Group, reinforced their family's commitment with the establishment of the Robert K. Kraft Family Fellowship Fund, now the largest endowed fellowship fund at HBS. This enhanced support continues to open doors for first-generation college students, individuals from lower-income households, and others with limited access to elite graduate education.

HBS Dean Srikant Datar underscored the profound importance of the Krafts’ support: “Having the voices of students in the classroom from a range of industries, geographies, sectors, and socioeconomic backgrounds deepens learning, better preparing our graduates for the real-world challenges they will face as business leaders. We are only able to foster this environment through the generous support of fellowships by leaders like Robert and Jonathan Kraft.”

Beyond financial aid, the Kraft family fosters meaningful connections with their fellows. Every spring, Robert Kraft hosts a special gathering to learn about the aspirations and life stories of the recipients. These intimate conversations have left a lasting impression, including on Jonathan Kraft, who attended these events as a teenager and later founded his own fellowship fund in 2000.

Reflecting on his dual milestones—40 years since the fellowship fund's inception and his 60th HBS Reunion—Robert Kraft shared: “Being part of HBS changed my life, and I am deeply grateful for the chance to help others benefit from the transformational power of this experience. Our family is proud of the extraordinary difference that our fellowship recipients make in the world.”

For current recipients like Jake Guarino (MBA 2026) and Christine Noh (MBA 2025), the impact is both personal and profound.

“This fellowship has given me the freedom to fully engage in everything this community has to offer,” says Guarino. “It has allowed me to focus on learning and growth, both personally and professionally, while also laying the groundwork for the future I hope to build.”

Noh adds, “What truly means the most is knowing that someone believes in me and my future. It has given me confidence in moments of doubt and motivation to keep striving toward my goals. I carry that with me every day, and I hope to one day pay it forward by helping others in the same way the Kraft family has helped me.”

As Robert Kraft looks back on his HBS journey and the philanthropic path it inspired, he often returns to a piece of wisdom passed down from his father, Harry Kraft:

“When you go to bed at night, you ask yourself, ‘Is everyone who has come in contact with me today richer for having had that experience?’ … You can always be of help to other people, and in doing so and living your life in that way, you will create a good name for yourself. It’s much more valuable than any amount of money.”

For four decades and counting, the Kraft Family Fellowship has lived that philosophy—making the world richer, one student at a time.

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