George Washington University has announced a $1 million gift from GW parents Ulvi and Reykhan Kasimov to endow its art therapy program.

The endowment will support graduate fellowships in the art therapy program, reduce student debt, and make the program more accessible to low-income students. Students in the program could accrue more than $100,000 in student loans pursuing the program before earning $50,000 to $80,000 per year as an art therapist, according to Heidi Bardot, the program’s director and an associate professor of the GW Art Therapy Program. The university plans to launch the fellowship at the beginning of the next academic year.

“This is something that they’re passionate about, they actually really want to help people and they really want to give back to the community and society,” Bardot said. “Post-COVID, we know that mental health needs are increasing exponentially, so it is something that the Kasimovs were really aware of in terms of mental health and the use of art.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/AnnaZhuk)