Photo of a bridge in Washington DC overlooked by a greek style building

Public Policy and Government Affairs

“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.


cover of Greater Funding Greater Needs reportNew Report: Greater Funding Greater Needs

Elected representatives and private donors need to redouble their support for HBCUs. Greater Funding, Great Needs: A Report on Funding for HBCUs, the newest UNCF report reveals the influx from the past two years of federal government funding and private donations are not enough and do not begin to make up for decades of neglect. Visit UNCF.org/GreaterFunding for the full report.

Lodriguez Murray, senior vice president, public policy and government affairs at UNCF, explains the importance of the report.


Your voice is needed now to urge Congress to pass the IGNITE HBCU Excellence Act, which provides desperately needed repairs and renovations for HBCU campus buildings and research facilities across the United States.

Visit UNCF.org/HBCUIgnite for more information and to contact your members of Congress today!


Vote ButtonsWith 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.

 

Read the Report

UNCF Federal Policy and Advocacy Team


We help educate elected officials about the needs of our students, the value of HBCUs and the important role education plays in keeping America strong.

Meet the Team

Government Affairs Committee


The Government Affairs Committee is made up of UNCF-member institution presidents who are academic and community leaders, all of whom have a passion for—and a commitment to—providing educational opportunity.

Learn More