Richard Rusczyk Recognized with Bezos Courage & Civility Award by Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos

Richard Rusczyk

Richard works with a student.

$5 million grant to MATHCOUNTS honors Rusczyk’s leadership in helping talented young learners discover a passion for math

ALEXANDRIA, VA, UNITED STATES, December 17, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The MATHCOUNTS Foundation today announced that Richard Rusczyk has been selected as a recipient of the Bezos Courage & Civility Award, given by Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos, and will invest his award in a $5 million grant to MATHCOUNTS. This Courage & Civility Award recognizes exceptional leadership and commitment to ensuring young people learn and thrive.

“We are honored to celebrate Richard Rusczyk and be part of his transformative work in math education,” said Kristen Chandler, executive director of the MATHCOUNTS Foundation. “Math is the often-overlooked bedrock of STEM, and students who get their start in MATHCOUNTS, like Richard did, have an outsized impact on the world because they see things differently and embrace challenges head-on.”

The 2025 Awards shine a light on a critical priority: ensuring that all learners receive the education and support they need to succeed. This cohort of Bezos Courage & Civility Award recipients celebrates those who boldly challenge the status quo to create learning environments that value young people of all abilities.

With this funding, MATHCOUNTS will strengthen its core program infrastructure and design a new program for grades 3-5 students that includes the essential components that have made its grades 6-8 competition effective for more than four decades. Rusczyk is the founder of Art of Problem Solving, a longtime sponsor and program partner of MATHCOUNTS.

“Anyone who has been to a MATHCOUNTS competition knows firsthand how powerful it is when students experience joy, creativity and collaboration in math,” said Rusczyk. “MATHCOUNTS was where I learned that there were other kids like me, and I want students to find that sense of community even sooner than I did.”

In the past decade, over a million students across every U.S. state have participated in MATHCOUNTS programs. An independent outcomes study found that nearly nine in 10 students said their confidence in math had grown through competing, and 97% of educators said, after participating, their students were more equipped to solve problems they had never seen before. MATHCOUNTS competitors also take more math classes, a key indicator of future success in STEM, with 82% reporting plans to take more math in high school than required to graduate.

The Bezos Courage & Civility Award celebrates exceptional leaders who overcome barriers, embrace bold ideas and create lasting change. The recipients show courage by standing firm in the face of adversity and taking risks to address difficult, often neglected challenges, and they show civility by uniting instead of dividing—and pursuing progress with respect and empathy.

About MATHCOUNTS
MATHCOUNTS Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides engaging math programs for all students in grades 6-8 in U.S. schools to build confidence and improve attitudes about math and problem solving. Middle school students exist at a critical juncture in which their love for mathematics must be nurtured, or their fear of mathematics must be overcome. For more than 40 years, MATHCOUNTS has provided free, high-quality resources to educators and enriching, extracurricular opportunities to grades 6-8 students. With a new expansion to grades 3-5, MATHCOUNTS programs will inspire even more students and lay a foundation for future success. Materials and information are available at www.mathcounts.org.

About the Bezos Courage & Civility Award
The Bezos Courage & Civility Award, established in 2021, honors individuals who aim high and pursue solutions to tough and often neglected challenges with courage and civility. Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos recognize both seasoned and emerging leaders who are driving meaningful change. Each award recipient designates a nonprofit to receive a grant in support of the work they are doing. Recipients embody the belief that transformative progress requires both bold action and collaborative work across differences.

Molly Gormley
MATHCOUNTS
molly@mathcounts.org

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