UNCF,theUnited Negro College Fund,also known as theUnited Fund,is an Americanphilanthropicorganization that fundsscholarshipsforblackstudents and general scholarship funds for 37 privatehistorically black colleges and universities.UNCF was incorporated on April 25, 1944, byFrederick D. Patterson(then president of what is nowTuskegee University),Mary McLeod Bethune,and others. UNCF is headquartered at 1805 7th Street, NW in Washington, D.C.[4]In 2005, UNCF supported approximately 65,000 students at over 900 colleges and universities with approximately $113 million in grants and scholarships. About 60% of these students are the first in their families to attend college, and 62% have annual family incomes of less than $25,000. UNCF also administers over 450 named scholarships.
Abbreviation | UNCF |
---|---|
Founded | April 25, 1944 |
Founder | Frederick D. Patterson Mary McLeod Bethune |
Type | Educational |
13-1624241[1] | |
Legal status | 501(c)(3)[1] |
Purpose | To build a pathway of educational support from K–12 through college and career. |
Headquarters | 1805 7th Street NW Washington, D.C.20001 |
Coordinates | 38°54′51″N77°01′17″W/ 38.9143°N 77.0214°W |
Area served | United States |
Dr. Michael L. Lomax[2] | |
Revenue | $89,277,523[3](in 2018) |
Expenses | $171,722,769[3](in 2018) |
Endowment | $103,734,086 (2018)[3] |
Employees | 281[3](in 2017) |
Volunteers | 2,584[3](in 2017) |
Website | www |
UNCF's president and chief executive officer isMichael Lomax.Past presidents of the UNCF includedWilliam H. Gray[5]andVernon Jordan.[6]
Scholarships
editThough founded to address funding inequities in education resources forAfrican 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.[7]
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.,aNobel Peace Prizelaureate and leader in thecivil rights movement;Alexis Herman,formerU.S. Secretary of Labor;movie directorSpike Lee;actorSamuel L. Jackson;GeneralChappie James,theU.S. Air Force’s first black four-star general; and Dr.David Satcher,a formerU.S. Surgeon Generaland director of theCenters for Disease Control.[8]
History
editIn 1944William J. Trent,a long-time activist for education for black people, joined withTuskegee InstitutePresidentFrederick D. PattersonandMary McLeod Bethuneto 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".[9]In 2008, reflecting shifting attitudes toward the wordNegroin 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.[10][11]
Fundraising and the Lou Rawls Parade of Stars
editThe UNCF has received charitable donations for its scholarship programs. One of the more high-profile donations made was by then-senator and futureU.S. PresidentJohn F. Kennedywho donated the money from thePulitzer Prizefor his bookProfiles in Courageto the Fund. Another significant donation was made in 1990 byWalter Annenberg,who donated $50 million to the fund.[12]
Beginning in 1980, singerLou Rawlsbegan the "Lou Rawls Parade of Stars"telethonto 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.[13]
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 theseat of honorand celebrated by his performing colleagues, includingStevie 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.[13]
In addition to the telethon, there are a number of other fundraising activities, including the "Walk for Education" held annually inLos Angeles, California,which includes a five kilometer walk/run. InHouston,Texas,theCypresswood Golf Clubhosts an annual golf tournament in April.[14]
In 2014,Koch Industries Inc.and theCharles Koch Foundationmade a $25 million grant to UNCF.[15]In protest of the Kochs, theAmerican Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees,a major labor union, ended its yearly $50,000–60,000 support for UNCF.[16]
In June 2020,NetflixfounderReed Hastingsdonated $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.[17][18]
The UNCF motto
editIn 1972, the UNCF adopted as itsmottothe maxim "A mind is a terrible thing to waste." This maxim has become one of the most widely recognized slogans inadvertisinghistory.[19]The motto was notably mangled in a 1989 address to the organization by then–Vice President of the United StatesDan 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."[20] The motto, which has been used in numerous award-winning UNCF ad campaigns, was created by Forest Long, of the advertising agencyYoung & Rubicam,in partnership with theAd Council.[21]
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."[22]
UNCF member institutions
editAlabama
edit- Miles College,Birmingham,https://uncf.org/member-colleges/miles-college
- Oakwood University,Huntsville,https://uncf.org/member-colleges/oakwood-university
- Stillman College,Tuscaloosa,https://uncf.org/member-colleges/stillman-college
- Talladega College,Talladega,https://uncf.org/member-colleges/talladega-college
- Tuskegee University,Tuskegee,https://uncf.org/member-colleges/tuskegee-university
Arkansas
editFlorida
edit- Bethune-Cookman University,Daytona Beach,https://uncf.org/member-colleges/bethune-cookman-university
- Edward Waters College,Jacksonville,https://uncf.org/member-colleges/edward-waters-college
- Florida Memorial University,Miami Gardens,https://uncf.org/member-colleges/florida-memorial-university
Georgia
edit- Clark Atlanta University,Atlanta,https://uncf.org/member-colleges/clark-atlanta
- Interdenominational Theological Center,Atlanta,https://uncf.org/member-colleges/interdenominational-theological-center
- Morehouse College,Atlanta,https://uncf.org/member-colleges/morehouse-college
- Paine College,Augusta,https://uncf.org/member-colleges/paine-college
- Spelman College,Atlanta,https://uncf.org/member-colleges/spelman-college
Louisiana
edit- Dillard University,New Orleans,https://uncf.org/member-colleges/dillard-university
- Xavier University of Louisiana,New Orleans,https://uncf.org/member-colleges/xavier-university
Mississippi
edit- Rust College,Holly Springs,https://uncf.org/member-colleges/rust-college
- Tougaloo College,Tougaloo,https://uncf.org/member-colleges/tougaloo-college
North Carolina
edit- Bennett College,Greensboro,https://uncf.org/member-colleges/bennett-college
- Johnson C. Smith University,Charlotte,https://uncf.org/member-colleges/johnson-c-smith-university
- Livingstone College,Salisbury,https://uncf.org/member-colleges/livingstone-college
- Saint Augustine's University,Raleigh,https://uncf.org/member-colleges/saint-augustines-university
- Shaw University,Raleigh,https://uncf.org/member-colleges/shaw-university
Ohio
editSouth Carolina
edit- Allen University,Columbia,https://uncf.org/member-colleges/allen-university
- Benedict College,Columbia,https://uncf.org/member-colleges/benedict-college
- Claflin University,Orangeburg,https://uncf.org/member-colleges/claflin-university
- Morris College,Sumter,https://uncf.org/member-colleges/morris-college
- Voorhees College,Denmark,https://uncf.org/member-colleges/voorhees-college
Tennessee
edit- Fisk University,Nashville,https://uncf.org/member-colleges/fisk-university
- Lane College,Jackson,https://uncf.org/member-colleges/lane-college
- LeMoyne-Owen College,Memphis,https://uncf.org/member-colleges/lemoyne-owen-college
Texas
edit- Huston–Tillotson University,Austin,https://uncf.org/member-colleges/huston-tillotson
- Jarvis Christian College,Hawkins,https://uncf.org/member-colleges/jarvis-christian-college
- Texas College,Tyler,https://uncf.org/member-colleges/texas-college
- Wiley College,Marshall,https://uncf.org/member-colleges/wiley-college
Virginia
editReferences
edit- ^ab"United Negro College Fund Inc".Tax Exempt Organization Search.Internal Revenue Service.Retrieved November 1, 2019.
- ^"Dr. Michael L. Lomax".United Negro College Fund. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
- ^abcde"Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax".United Negro College Fund Inc.Guidestar.March 31, 2018.
- ^"Contact UsArchived2013-10-02 at theWayback Machine".United Negro College Fund. Accessed October 8, 2013.
- ^"75+ Years Strong: Highlights from UNCF's History".UNCF. March 14, 2019.RetrievedMarch 30,2022.
- ^"UNCF Mourns the Passing of Vernon Jordan, Former Executive Director".UNCF. March 2, 2021.RetrievedMarch 30,2022.
- ^"UNCF Faq".UNCF. November 7, 2008. Archived fromthe originalon October 2, 2013.RetrievedOctober 8,2013.
- ^"UNCF".UNCF. November 7, 2008. Archived fromthe originalon October 2, 2013.RetrievedOctober 8,2013.
- ^Wharton Alumni Magazine,Spring 2007
- ^Quenqua, Douglas (January 17, 2008)."Revising a Name, but Not a Familiar Slogan".The New York Times.
- ^Schmidt, Peter (January 17, 2008)."United Negro College Fund Decides Its Great Tag Line Is a Terrible Thing to Waste".The Chronicle of Higher Education.
- ^B. Davis Schwartz Memorial LibraryArchivedFebruary 11, 2010, at theWayback Machine
- ^ab"United Negro College Fund:: An Evening of Stars Continues in Memory of Lou Rawls".www.prnewstoday.com.Archived fromthe originalon March 13, 2007.RetrievedJanuary 15,2022.
- ^"UNCF Events".UNCF. Archived fromthe originalon October 2, 2013.RetrievedOctober 8,2013.
- ^Sullivan, Sean (June 6, 2014)."Koch brothers donate $25 million to United Negro College Fund".Washington Post.RetrievedAugust 26,2014.
- ^"Union halts support for United Negro College Fund over Koch brothers' grant".New York Post.Associated Press.July 10, 2014.RetrievedJuly 11,2014.
- ^Bursztynsky, Jessica (June 17, 2020)."Netflix CEO Reed Hastings donating $120 million to historically Black institutions".CNBC.RetrievedFebruary 17,2021.
- ^"Netflix CEO is donating $120 million to HBCUs, wants it to celebrate" great black achievement "".www.cbsnews.com.June 17, 2020.RetrievedFebruary 17,2021.
- ^[1]ArchivedSeptember 27, 2007, at theWayback Machine
- ^Dowd, Maureen."The Education of Dan Quayle".The New York Times.June 25, 1989.
- ^See the UNCF website.
- ^Gasman, Marybeth (2007).Envisioning Black Colleges: A History of the United Negro College Fund(page 192). Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
- ^"Member Colleges".UNCF.RetrievedFebruary 27,2022.