About the Fund II Foundation UNCF STEM Scholars Program

The Fund II Foundation UNCF STEM Scholars Program will identify 500 African American high school students who are determined to pursue careers in STEM fields. These students will receive scholarships, internships, mentoring and other tools to help them reach their goals. The Fund II Foundation is contributing $48 million for the STEM Scholars Program.

STEM Scholars Program: Impact

What did the program do for students?

The inaugural class of STEM Scholars met for a leadership summit July 29-31, 2016, in Atlanta, where they met one another, mapped out academic and career goals, and heard from African American experts within the STEM fields, including Dr. Ebony McGee, assistant professor of diversity and urban schooling at Vanderbilt University, and Dr. Karl Pendergrass, a UNCF/Merck postdoctoral fellow who is director of medical affairs for the cardiovascular and metabolic disease team at Merck. Fund II Foundation Executive Director Linda Wilson also welcomed the scholars at the summit. Students tapped into their entrepreneurship brainpower and participated in an ideation challenge focused on building an app from scratch.

• This year’s cohort represents 29 states, with Georgia, Maryland and Texas having the highest number of scholars per state with 14, 10 and eight respectively.
• The scholars attend 71 different elite colleges and universities.
• Seven historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Of those, five are UNCF-member HBCUs: Morehouse College, Spelman College, Tuskegee University, Wilberforce University and Xavier University of Louisiana.
• Thirteen scholars will attend seven of the nation’s eight Ivy League institutions.