Ann and Bruce Blume (LAW ’80) donated $10 million to the Georgetown University Law Center, the largest-ever one-time donation to the Law Center, to create the Blume Public Leadership Institute.

The Blume Institute will provide full-tuition scholarships to students who demonstrate public leadership potential, according to a Law Center news report.

Bruce said the $10 million gift is an opportunity to serve Law Center students in a way that aligns with Georgetown values.

“Ann and I are so honored to be part of the Georgetown Law community. It is such an important global institution, and it is very exciting to be connected to it,” Blume wrote in a Sept. 6 news release. “For Ann and me, the concept of providing scholarships in perpetuity to the top students in the country in public leadership speaks to what we both believe in, our mission in life, and to Georgetown’s ethos of service to others.”

Blume is the founder and chief executive officer of Blume Company Real Estate, a real estate development firm based in Seattle. He serves on the University of Washington Foundation’s board of directors, as well as the Law Center Board of Visitors, which is a group individuals chosen from the public and private sector to offer advice to the dean of the Law School on how to better the program.

Ann Blume serves on Seattle University’s Board of Trustees and the Cornell University College of Human Ecology Advisory Council, an outside advisory group for the College.

Together, the Blumes founded the Bruce and Ann Blume Fund, which supports public health, educational and environmental projects. The pair has also contributed to SightLife, a global health nonprofit that works to eliminate blindness through corneal transplant tissue recovery.

Outside of their fund, the Blumes’ philanthropic work has included hosting fundraising dinners for former President Barack Obama in 2012 and 2014.

William Bailey, the senior director of campaign management and Strategic Initiatives at the Law Center, said that selection is underway for eight Blume Scholars this academic year. Ten additional first-year students will receive Blume Scholarships in subsequent years.

“Per the Blumes’ gift agreement with Georgetown, selection is to be done by at the direction of the Dean,” Bailey wrote in an email to The Hoya. “Currently, we are collaborating with colleagues administering the existing Public Interest Law Scholars program. Long term, planning is underway to determine whether a committee will convene to select Blume Scholars.”

Though the Blumes’ gift is the largest one-time donation to the Law Center, others have contributed more over many years, according to Bailey. Other donors include alumni Linda and Tim O’Neill, who have donated totals over $20 million, including $12 million to Law Center initiatives, specifically the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, according to Bailey.

The Blume Institute furthers Georgetown’s mission of service in leadership, Law Center Dean William Treanor said.

“By enabling Georgetown to attract and educate the next generation of public interest leaders, the Blume Institute aligns perfectly with our Jesuit tradition of service,” Treanor wrote in a Sept. 6 news release. “In years to come, I fully expect to see Blume Scholars emerge as leaders in all branches of federal and state government, as well as at major nonprofits, NGOs, and in the business sector.”