This Nonprofit Is Changing The Lives Of America’s HBCU Students

After Texas banned diversity, equity and inclusion programs at public universities in 2023, many colleges and universities nationwide have since followed suit and cracked down on DEI within the past year. Additionally, Black enrollment has dipped among so-called elite universities in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to end affirmative action. Despite these apparent attacks on Black students pursuing higher education, one nonprofit remains more committed than ever to ensuring they are able to thrive.
The Thurgood Marshall College Fund has been advocating for students at historically Black colleges and universities, as well as predominantly Black institutions, for over 30 years. Founded in 1987 by longtime education advocate Dr. N. Joyce Payne, the organization has awarded students over $500 million in scholarships and placed them in positions to network with top employers to secure internships and careers.
Despite a boom in prospective student interest in HBCUs and predominantly Black institutions after affirmative action was outlawed, decades of chronic underfunding and smaller endowments due to the racial wealth gap have made it difficult for these schools to cater to as many students as they would like. Couple that with a coordinated attack on diversity and rising white nationalism, the TMCF is ready to ramp up its own efforts to support Black institutions and students, not slow down.
Dr. Harry Williams, the president and CEO of the organization, said it embraces the fight to protect Black universities and their students.
“Look at who we are. Look at the name Thurgood Marshall,” Williams said, invoking the first Black Supreme Court justice for whom the nonprofit is named after. “You think he was afraid of a fight?”
The TMCF “is all about making sure that our students, when they graduate from our HBCUs, are getting a fair shot at being a part of America,” said Williams, who’s also the former president of Delaware State University. “We are creating opportunities for students that come from communities where they may not have a champion to support them.”
Black students already face myriad challenges in higher education. Enrollment for Black men, in particular, has sharply fallen over the last five decades, according to a report from the policy think tank American Institute for Boys and Men. These students face financial obstacles, and HBCUs aren’t always able to offer robust financial aid packages and recruitment efforts like white institutions due to underfunding.
The TMCF “definitely provided a sense of financial relief and alleviated a lot of stress [for me] when it comes to figuring out how to pay for tuition,” said Ashton Hall, a 20-year-old junior at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, an HBCU in Greensboro.
Hall, a computer science major, became aware of the organization while applying for scholarships in high school.
“I’ve been going through college supporting myself, whether through tuition and fees or just personal necessities,” he continued. “[The Thurgood Marshall College Fund] opened up opportunities and doors that maybe if I didn’t have them, I would never get in general.”
Thanks to the long-standing advocacy work of organizations like the TMCF, there has recently been a groundswell of financial support for HBCUs. The Biden-Harris administration said it has committed $17 billion in federal investments for HBCUs, which was made possible due in part to the TMCF’s close working relationship with the current administration and past ones.
Other organizations have made significant investments in HBCUs as well. Last month, Bloomberg Philanthropies announced a historic $600 million gift to historically Black medical schools that are a part of the TMCF’s member schools.
“You may hear that large number and say, ‘Well, they’re getting a lot of money,’” Williams said. “But if you go back 150 years when you weren’t getting any money and you’re trying to play catch up as we are — then this is not a lot of money.”
“We are constantly reminding our elected officials the importance of investing and continuing to invest into the infrastructure of these institutions,” he continued. “Our role at the Thurgood Marshall College Fund is to continue to remind the nation the importance of these institutions and continue to remind the policymakers and philanthropists that these institutions have an incredible return on their investment.”
The TMCF boasts a 97% graduation rate for its scholarship recipients; the graduation rate for Black students enrolled in four-year institutions is about 46%. The nonprofit also works to ensure students find stable careers postgraduation.
But the fight to guarantee Black students are given the same opportunities as their white counterparts is ongoing, and it’s a battle that Marshall deeply understood and dedicated his life to.
“Thurgood Marshall was one of the most important people during the civil rights era,” Hall said. “Seeing his impact, alongside Dr. N. Joyce Payne as well, is why the Thurgood Marshall College Fund is what it is now.”
A major part of the fund’s purpose is “fighting for that piece of equity that we know we deserve and that we should truly have,” Hall added.
Williams agreed, saying, ”Justice Marshall was adamantly focused on creating opportunities for those who have been disadvantaged. He took on segregation, he took that fight on.”
“That fight was to say segregation was wrong and needed to be destroyed. The Supreme Court agreed with that decision,” he continued.
“We know it is our responsibility to carry his name, and we continue to remind people of what these institutions stand for and what they mean to America.”