INVEST

UNCF: 80 Years Young and Still Going Strong

Supporters and team members gather on stage March 7, 2024, in Washington, DC, to celebrate the kick-off of its 80th anniversary year at the National UNCF “A Mind Is…”® Gala.

Founded on April 25, 1944, UNCF (United Negro College Fund) has spent the last eight decades as a cornerstone in the pursuit of educational equity and excellence. In fiscal year 2024, UNCF celebrated its 80-year legacy with the theme "Honoring the Legacy, Transforming our Future," underscoring its continued commitment to transforming lives and communities through education. From its inception, UNCF has tirelessly worked to bolster historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), driving economic and social mobility for students thanks to the level set that higher education provides all who earn a college degree. Throughout its existence, UNCF has raised more than $5 billion to help more than 500,000 students to go to and through college.

The 80th anniversary highlighted UNCF’s impact over the last eight decades and its work to transform HBCUs. With UNCF’s support, HBCUs continue to drive the engines propelling the economic and upward social mobility of students, helping them achieve greater outcomes in society.

The anniversary celebrations kicked off with a historic $100 million gift from Lilly Endowment, Inc., to support UNCF’s capital campaign over the next five years.

The anniversary celebrated UNCF and honored the vision and legacy of its founders and supporters including UNCF founding sponsor The Coca-Cola Company and presenting sponsor Target, which directly supported the 80th anniversary celebrations.

Recognizing UNCF’s milestone, Forbes magazine ranked UNCF as 58th on its list of top 100 U.S. charities and featured the organization on the cover of its charities issue. “With an ambitious capital campaign, CEO Michael Lomax has led his nonprofit back onto the Forbes list of America’s Top 100 Charities, ranked by private donations,” Forbes reported.

UNCF, known for its elegant fundraising balls and galas, raised millions of dollars throughout its anniversary year for scholarships and other forms of assistance to help students to get to and through college.

At the national “A Mind Is…”^® Gala in Washington, DC, in March 2024, Dr. Lomax told a sold-out audience, “As our 80th anniversary theme states, we’re ‘Honoring the Legacy, Transforming our Future.’ UNCF is transforming our future and the future of higher education in America. Tonight, I declare unequivocally that UNCF is not just doing okay; we’re killing it. We’re going through a renaissance with HBCUs, and UNCF is leading the path forward.”

Promotion of the 80th anniversary also elevated UNCF’s brand in unprecedented fashion. National magazine and newspaper ads featuring UNCF appeared in People and USA Today, the first time in about 10 years.  Others coalesced and raised their voices around UNCF’s anniversary. Celebrity supporters Lionel Richie, Blair Underwood, Tavis Smiley and Samuel L. Jackson saluted UNCF in congratulatory videos. Some of the same supporters also provided their voices to support UNCF through a new public service announcement campaign. Radio stations and podcasts around the country broadcasted promotional messages from Underwood, Jackson, Anthony Anderson, CeCe Winans, Fantasia, “Gary With Da Tea’s” Gary Hayes and Roy Wood, Jr.

Pulling from its past, a national radiothon in Chicago—reminiscent of the “UNCF An Evening of Stars”^® telethon—attracted a star-studded line up, including: Gerald Alston (The Manhattans); Billy Brown (Ray, Goodman & Brown); Marshall Thompson (The Chi-Lites); Russell Thompkins, Jr. (The Stylistics); Ron Isley (The Isley Brothers); Antonio Fargas (Huggy Bear); Heatwave; Enchantment; Willie Clayton; Keith Washington; Copeland Davis; Deitra Farr; The Next Movement; Loleatta Holloway; Melanie Moore; Howard Hewett; Dennis Edward’s The Temptations Revue; Linda Woodson; Theo Huff; Gene Chandler; The Whispers; and Evelyn “Champagne” King.

UNCF officials and an HBCU alumna rang the New York Stock Exchange’s closing bell on the anniversary date, April 25, 2024, and tributes were conducted by New York City Mayor Eric Adams and the New York Yankees.

Several major U.S. airports projected congratulatory messages in busy traveler areas saluting UNCF’s 80th anniversary. Across the country, city proclamations were issued recognizing UNCF’s impact in their communities.

UNCF’s 80th anniversary was more than a celebration; it was a reminder of the work that still lies ahead to support HBCUs and the students they serve. As Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, one of UNCF’s founders, profoundly stated, “Education is the great American adventure, the world’s most colossal democratic experiment.” UNCF continues to embody this spirit, honoring the vision of its founders and striving to expand the horizons of education for all. The legacy of UNCF inspires the current organization to achieve better futures and look forward to the journey towards its 100th anniversary.