UNCF

Scholarships

Though founded to address funding inequities in education resources for African Americans, UNCF-administered scholarships are open to all ethnicities; the great majority of recipients are still African-American. It provides scholarships to students attending its member colleges as well as to those going elsewhere.

Graduates of UNCF member institutions and scholarships have included many Black people in the fields of business, politics, health care and the arts. Some prominent UNCF alumni include: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and leader in the civil rights movement; Alexis Herman, former U.S. Secretary of Labor; movie director Spike Lee; actor Samuel L. Jackson; General Chappie James, the U.S. Air Force’s first black four-star general; and Dr. David Satcher, a former U.S. Surgeon General and director of the Centers for Disease Control.

History

In 1944 William J. Trent, a long-time activist for education for black people, joined with Tuskegee Institute President Frederick D. Patterson and Mary McLeod Bethune to found the UNCF, a nonprofit that united college presidents to raise money collectively through an "appeal to the national conscience". As the first executive director from the organization's start in 1944 until 1964, Trent raised $78 million for historically Black colleges so they could become "strong citadels of learning, carriers of the American dream, seedbeds of social evolution and revolution". In 2008, reflecting shifting attitudes toward the word Negro in its name, the UNCF shifted from using its full name to using only its initials, releasing a new logo with the initials alone and featuring their slogan more prominently.

In 2025, billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott donated $70 million to the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) to support historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The donation is intended to promote financial stability, capacity building, and long-term sustainability for HBCUs. UNCF announced that the funds would be distributed to address both immediate institutional needs and broader inequities in higher-education funding for historically Black institutions.

Fundraising and the Lou Rawls Parade of Stars

The UNCF has received charitable donations for its scholarship programs. One of the more high-profile donations made was by then-senator and future U.S. President John F. Kennedy who donated the money from the Pulitzer Prize for his book Profiles in Courage to the Fund. Another significant donation was made in 1990 by Walter Annenberg, who donated $50 million to the fund.

Beginning in 1980, singer Lou Rawls began the "Lou Rawls Parade of Stars" telethon to benefit the UNCF. The annual event, now known as "An Evening of Stars", consists of stories of successful African-American students who have graduated or benefited from one of the many historically black colleges and universities and who received support from the UNCF. The telethon featured comedy and musical performances from various artists in support of the UNCF's and Rawls' efforts. The event has raised over $200 million in 27 shows for the fund through 2006.

In January 2004, Rawls was honored by the United Negro College Fund for his more than 25 years of charity work with the organization. Instead of Rawls' hosting and performing, he was given the seat of honor and celebrated by his performing colleagues, including Stevie Wonder, The O'Jays, Gerald Levert, Ashanti, and several others. Before his death in January 2006, Rawls' last performance was a taping for the 2006 telethon that honored Wonder, months before entering the hospital after being diagnosed with cancer earlier in the year.

In addition to the telethon, there are a number of other fundraising activities, including the "Walk for Education" held annually in Los Angeles, California, which includes a five kilometer walk/run. In Houston, Texas, the Cypresswood Golf Club hosts an annual golf tournament in April.

In 2014, Koch Industries Inc. and the Charles Koch Foundation made a $25 million grant to UNCF. In protest of the Kochs, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, a major labor union, ended its yearly $50,000–60,000 support for UNCF.

In 2015, the Lilly Endowment donated $50 million to UNCF to establish the Career Pathways Initiative (CPI) for HBCUs.

In June 2020, Netflix founder Reed Hastings donated $120 million to the UNCF to be used as scholarship funds for students enrolled at UNCF institutions. His donation was the largest in UNCF history.

In 2024, the Lilly Endowment added to its 2015 gift and awarded a $100 million unrestricted grant to UNCF's $1 billion capital campaign.UNCF News (January 11, 2024). UNCF Receives $100 Million Grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to Support Capital Campaign. Retrieved May 19, 2025.

The UNCF motto

In 1972, the UNCF adopted as its motto the maxim "A mind is a terrible thing to waste." This maxim has become one of the most widely recognized slogans in advertising history. The motto was notably mangled in a 1989 address to the organization by then–Vice President of the United States Dan Quayle, who stated: "And you take the U.N.C.F. model that what a waste it is to lose one's mind or not to have a mind is being very wasteful. How true that is." The motto, which has been used in numerous award-winning UNCF ad campaigns, was created by Forest Long, of the advertising agency Young & Rubicam, in partnership with the Ad Council.

A lesser-known slogan the UNCF also uses, in reference to its intended beneficiaries, points out that they're "not asking for a handout, just a hand."

UNCF member institutions

Alabama

• Miles College, Birmingham, Miles College
• Oakwood University, Huntsville, Oakwood University
• Stillman College, Tuscaloosa, Stillman College
• Talladega College, Talladega, Talladega College
• Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, Tuskegee University

Arkansas

• Philander Smith College, Little Rock, Philander Smith University

Florida

• Bethune-Cookman University, Daytona Beach, Bethune-Cookman University
• Edward Waters College, Jacksonville, Edward Waters University
• Florida Memorial University, Miami Gardens, Florida Memorial University

Georgia

• Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, Clark Atlanta University
• Interdenominational Theological Center, Atlanta, Interdenominational Theological Center
• Morehouse College, Atlanta, Morehouse College
• Paine College, Augusta, Paine College
• Spelman College, Atlanta, Spelman College

Louisiana

• Dillard University, New Orleans, Dillard University
• Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans, Xavier University of Louisiana

Mississippi

• Rust College, Holly Springs, Rust College
• Tougaloo College, Tougaloo, Tougaloo College

North Carolina

• Bennett College, Greensboro, Bennett College
• Johnson C. Smith University, Charlotte, Johnson C. Smith University
• Livingstone College, Salisbury, Livingstone College
• Saint Augustine's University, Raleigh, Saint Augustine’s University
• Shaw University, Raleigh, Shaw University

Ohio

• Wilberforce University, Wilberforce, Wilberforce University

South Carolina

• Allen University, Columbia, Allen University
• Benedict College, Columbia, Benedict College
• Claflin University, Orangeburg, Claflin University
• Morris College, Sumter, Morris College
• Voorhees College, Denmark, Voorhees University

Tennessee

• Fisk University, Nashville, Fisk University
• Lane College, Jackson, Lane College
• LeMoyne-Owen College, Memphis, LeMoyne-Owen College

Texas

• Huston–Tillotson University, Austin, Huston-Tillotson University
• Jarvis Christian College, Hawkins, Jarvis Christian University
• Texas College, Tyler, Texas College
• Wiley College, Marshall, Wiley University

Virginia

• Virginia Union University, Richmond, Virginia Union University

Member HBCUs (tabular)

The member HCBUs include (tabular):

References

References

1. "[https://pdf.guidestar.org/PDF_Images/2018/131/624/2018-131624241-0fe5cb00-9.pdf Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax]". United Negro College Fund Inc. [[Guidestar]]. March 31, 2018.
2. [https://uncf.org/wp-content/uploads/FY23-UNCF-AFS-2.pdf?_gl=113akif5_gcl_au*MTEwMjAxODMxOC4xNzQ3Njc0OTYx United Negro College Fund, Inc. Financial Statements: March 31, 2023 and 2022 (With Independent Auditors' Report Thereon).] KPMG. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
3. "[https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/displayAll.do?dispatchMethod=displayAllInfo&Id=671753&ein=131624241&country=US&deductibility=all&dispatchMethod=searchAll&isDescending=false&city=&ein1=&postDateFrom=&exemptTypeCode=al&submitName=Search&sortColumn=orgName&totalResults=2&names=United+Negro+College+Fund&resultsPerPage=25&indexOfFirstRow=0&postDateTo=&state=All+States United Negro College Fund Inc]". Tax Exempt Organization Search. [[Internal Revenue Service]]. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
4. "[https://www.uncf.org/bio/dr-lomax Dr. Michael L. Lomax]". United Negro College Fund. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
5. "[http://www.uncf.org/sections/WhoWeAre/SS_AboutUs/contact_us.asp Contact Us] {{Webarchive. link. (2013-10-02 ". United Negro College Fund. Accessed October 8, 2013.)
6. (2019-03-14). "75+ Years Strong: Highlights from UNCF's History". UNCF.
7. (March 2, 2021). "UNCF Mourns the Passing of Vernon Jordan, Former Executive Director". UNCF.
8. (2008-11-07). "UNCF Faq". UNCF.
9. (2008-11-07). "UNCF". UNCF.
10. ''Wharton Alumni Magazine'', Spring 2007
11. Quenqua, Douglas. (January 17, 2008). "Revising a Name, but Not a Familiar Slogan".
12. Schmidt, Peter. (January 17, 2008). "United Negro College Fund Decides Its Great Tag Line Is a Terrible Thing to Waste".
13. Associated Press. (September 10, 2025). "MacKenzie Scott donates $70M to United Negro College Fund to support HBCUs". Associated Press.
14. "African-Americans in the Twentieth Century".
15. "United Negro College Fund :: An Evening of Stars Continues in Memory of Lou Rawls".
16. "UNCF Events". UNCF.
17. Sullivan, Sean. (June 6, 2014). "Koch brothers donate $25 million to United Negro College Fund". [[Washington Post]].
18. (2014-07-10). "Union halts support for United Negro College Fund over Koch brothers' grant". [[New York Post]].
19. Bursztynsky, Jessica. (2020-06-17). "Netflix CEO Reed Hastings donating $120 million to historically Black institutions".
20. (June 17, 2020). "Netflix CEO is donating $120 million to HBCUs, wants it to celebrate "great black achievement"".
21. {{usurped
22. Dowd, Maureen. [https://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/25/magazine/the-education-of-dan-quayle.html?pagewanted=all "The Education of Dan Quayle"]. ''The New York Times''. June 25, 1989.
23. See the UNCF website.
24. Gasman, Marybeth (2007). ''Envisioning Black Colleges: A History of the United Negro College Fund'' (page 192). Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
25. "Member Colleges".