“Democracy is never a final achievement. It is a call to an untiring effort.”
—John F. Kennedy

UNCF’s Public Policy and Government Affairs work is centered on one simple yet powerful commitment: To invest in better futures for our young people by making sure that the needs of students of color and the colleges and universities they attend top the agenda whenever policymakers set education priorities.

Our efforts center on two key goals:

1) Ensuring lawmakers have the information they need to make smart, well-informed decisions about UNCF students and member HBCUs, and

2) Ensuring our stakeholders—like you—have the information and tools they need to make their voices heard.

How to Advocate for HBCUs

There are myriad opportunities to advocate for HBCUs. Some are quick and easy, and others require a larger commitment of time and energy. All of these efforts are important to ensure that HBCUs can continue to invest in tomorrow’s leaders.

With so much at stake and so many issues at the forefront, it’s important to ask questions of every candidate or campaign about the things that matter to you and the HBCU community. The HBCU Issues Guide provides information for the HBCU community and its supporters on issues critical to protecting and uplifting our institutions and the students we serve.

View the UNCF Congressional Honor Roll

HBCUs Punching Above Their Weight, a research report released by UNCF, makes a strong case for a powerful proposition: Given their small average size and a history of being under-resourced, the enrollment, degree and economic impacts of HBCUs on African Americans in their respective states are significantly greater than one would expect.