The Man Behind the Plan

Gus Amsterdam was a Philadelphia business leader, community advocate, and founding board member of the Comcast Corporation. He dedicated much of his time and energy to the community, and to improving education. A graduate of Central High School and the University of Pennsylvania, Gus was committed to civic and educational activities in Philadelphia throughout his life. He served as Chairman of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, and on the boards of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, Philadelphia Diagnostic and Rehabilitation Center, Philadelphia Urban League, Federation of Jewish Agencies, University of Pennsylvania Museum, and the Franklin Institute, among others.

The Award: Honoring a Great Man By Honoring Others

We wanted to honor Gus and the contributions he made to our corporate headquarters’ hometown. So Comcast established the Gustave G. Amsterdam Leadership Award in 2001, with a mission of providing financial support to two Philadelphia public high school graduates planning to attend a Philadelphia college or university. The honorees are chosen for demonstrating outstanding leadership among their peers through a commitment to community service, and high academic achievement. Check out our latest award winners.

How the Award Process Works

The recipients of the Gustave G. Amsterdam Leadership Award are chosen from among the Philadelphia-area finalists in the Comcast Leaders and Achievers® Scholarship Program, which is funded through The Comcast Foundation. Each Gustave Amsterdam Award recipient is awarded a one-time $5,000 scholarship grant, in lieu of the $1,000 Leaders and Achievers Scholarship, to be used toward their pursuit of higher education at a Philadelphia-area institute. This Leadership Award is presented annually at the annual Mayor's Address to the Business Community luncheon, and presented by the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce.

The Leaders and Achievers Scholarships are one-time awards in the amount of $1,000 for use towards college costs and expenses. Scholarship awards are nonrenewable and are not based on financial need. To be eligible to apply for and receive a scholarship, a student must be a full-time high school senior at the time of application; must demonstrate a strong commitment to community service; must display leadership abilities in school activities or through work experience; must have a grade point average of 2.8 or higher at the time of application; and must attend a high school in a community served by Comcast. Awards are granted without regard to race, color, creed, religion, disability or national origin. Children and other family members of Comcast employees and employees of Comcast’s subsidiaries and affiliates are not eligible. The number of scholarships awarded each year varies and is determined in the sole discretion of Comcast. If the number of scholarship applicants exceeds the number of available scholarships in a given year, scholarships will be awarded to approved recipients (those that meet all requirements, including all deadlines) in the sole discretion of Comcast.

The program is administered by International Scholarship and Tuition Services, Inc. ("ISTS"), an independent firm that specializes in managing sponsored scholarship programs. The Comcast Foundation reserves the right to interpret and review the terms, conditions and procedures of this scholarship program and to make changes at any time, including termination of the program. By applying, applicants agree that Comcast will have no liability for any of its acts or omissions in operating the program, including on account of any of the acts or omissions of ISTS.