UNCF

The United Negro College Fund, also known as UNCF, is an American philanthropic organization that funds scholarships for underrepresented students and general operating support for 37 private Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). In 1943, Dr. Frederick D. Patterson (then president of what is now Tuskegee University) wrote to The Pittsburgh Courier proposing the creation of an alliance of Black colleges that would raise money for their mutual benefit. UNCF was founded on April 25, 1944, under the leadership of Dr. Patterson, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, and others on the belief that there is strength in numbers—that HBCUs ought to make a joint effort to appeal for funds—as well as the belief that education was crucial to Black economic and social mobility. At the start, UNCF served 27 member colleges and universities, totaling 12,000 students. Its first campaign received the support of many prominent Americans including President Franklin D. Roosevelt and John D. Rockefeller, II. During its first annual campaign, the collective effort raised $765,000, equivalent to $10 million today, which is three times what its member institutions had raised separately the previous year.

At a time when a college education is more important—and more expensive—than ever, each year, UNCF enables nearly 50,000 students to attend its 37 member historically Black colleges and universities and other institutions and help over 8,000 students to graduate annually by:

·      Providing operating funds that make it possible for UNCF’s member HBCUs to offer their students quality academic programs in a small-college environment and still keep their average tuition approximately 27% lower than comparable institutions.

·      Awarding nearly 11,000 scholarships and internships each year so students from low- and moderate-income families can afford college tuition, books and room and board.

·      Serving as a national advocate for the importance of HBCUs, minority education and college readiness by representing HBCUs’ and students’ public policy interests in Washington, DC, and in cities around the country and in the media.

UNCF aims to increase the total annual number of African American college graduates by focusing on activities that ensure more students are college-ready, enroll in college and persist to graduation. This is done through a three-pillar strategy—positioning member institutions as a viable college option for students and investing in institutional capacity to improve student outcomes; creating transformational support programs to ensure students are enrolling and persisting through college completion; building awareness of educational attainment and cultivating college-going behaviors within the African American community. UNCF envisions a nation where all Americans have equal access to a college education that prepares them for rich intellectual lives, competitive and fulfilling careers, engaged citizenship and service to our nation. Its mission in the 21st century is to “build a robust and nationally recognized pipeline of underrepresented students who, because of UNCF support, become highly qualified college graduates and to ensure that our network of member institutions is a respected model of best practice in moving students to and through college.”

UNCF is headquartered at 1805 7th Street, NW in Washington, D.C.

UNCF's ninth president and chief executive officer is Dr. Michael L. Lomax. Past presidents of the UNCF include Benjamin E. Mays, William H. Gray and Vernon Jordan.