New Orleans Celebrates 12th Annual UNCF Mayor’s Masked Ball
UNCF is changing the HBCU narrative across the nation by helping more students of color get to and through college with events like the 12th annual New Orleans UNCF Mayor’s Masked Ball.
As a major part of our annual fundraising campaign, UNCF (United Negro College Fund) will host its 12th annual UNCF Mayor’s Masked Ball, Saturday, March 22, 2025, at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans. This premier fundraising social event is hosted by a diverse group of corporate partners, educators, celebrities, dignitaries, UNCF HBCU presidents, civic leaders, alumni and community influencers.
UNCF continues to strive to change the HBCU narrative across the nation by equipping more historically Black college and university (HBCU) students with the resources necessary to transition into college, graduate and ultimately establish careers that will build better futures for our society.
“Since we were founded in 1944, UNCF has fueled HBCUs with vital resources to educate generations of African American and other minority students,” said Dr. Michael L. Lomax, president and CEO, UNCF. In New Orleans, we will acknowledge and celebrate our founders, donors and philanthropic partners over the last 12 years. And we will be encouraging and transforming the next generation through education to achieve greater success for our community and this nation. UNCF and HBCUs matter now more than ever as our students and institutions need ongoing support. I encourage you to invest in UNCF so together we can invest in and build future generations of Black college students who will lead this nation and contribute to our economy. Events like the UNCF Mayor’s Masked Ball help us do just that.”
The event is chaired by Scott Snipes, General Manager of the Hyatt Regency New Orleans. Sponsors include the Gayle and Tom Benson Charitable Foundation, Entergy, Ochsner Health, LA Health and many others.
“We celebrate the progress that is being made to uplift our historically black colleges and universities and the students they serve,” said Therese Badon, Senior Vice President of Development, UNCF Southern & Special Events Divisions. And we express our sincere appreciation for all that our partners do to support UNCF and who believe deeply in our motto: ‘A mind is a terrible thing to waste but a wonderful thing to invest in.’” With the help of the New Orleans community, $1.5 million was awarded last year in scholarships and programs for students and UNCF member HBCUs, Dillard University and Xavier University.
For more information and sponsorship opportunities, contact Bridget Fleury at 504-581-3794 or by email at bridget.fleury@uncf.org . Unable to attend, but want to make a difference in student’s life? Text UNCF33 to 41444. To stay connected to UNCF throughout the year, please visit https://uncf.org/neworleans. You can also follow this event @UNCF @UNCF_NOLA #UNCF #UNCFNEWORLEANS on social media.
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About UNCF
UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nation’s largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports students’ education and development through scholarships and other programs, supports and strengthens its 37 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education and college readiness. While totaling only 3% of all colleges and universities, UNCF institutions and other historically Black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding 15% of bachelor’s degrees, 5% of master’s degrees, 10% of doctoral degrees and 19% of all STEM degrees earned by Black students in higher education. UNCF administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 50,000 students at over 1,100 colleges and universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized trademark is, ‟A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”® Learn more at UNCF.org or for continuous updates and news, follow UNCF on X (formerly Twitter) at @UNCF.