UNCF Launches ‘Wealth in Numbers’ Campaign and $10,000 Prize to Explore HBCU Community Perspectives on Wealth Building

New initiative offers $10,000 prize to HBCU with highest survey response rate as part of groundbreaking wealth-building research

On August 7, 2025, UNCF’s Institute for Capacity Building announced the launch of its “Wealth in Numbers” campaign, an effort designed to better understand wealth building perspectives of students, faculty and staff at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The campaign will offer a $10,000 prize to the HBCU with the highest response rate. The survey is now live and accepting responses through Sept. 30, 2025.

“When we unite our HBCU communities around shared goals of financial empowerment, we create opportunities for collective prosperity that extend far beyond individual success,” said UNCF Senior Vice President Ed Smith-Lewis. “We’re beginning with comprehensive research to understand how HBCUs can better serve as catalysts for generational wealth building, which will inform our development of targeted programs and resources in the phases ahead.”

The “Wealth in Numbers” campaign is a key element of the HBCU Wealth Building Initiative, launched earlier this year by UNCF with support from the Prudential Foundation. The initiative addresses critical wealth disparities facing HBCUs and the communities they serve. While HBCUs achieve a 67.6% success rate in moving students to higher income brackets and represent 52% of institutions in the 95th percentile for mobility, they serve more first generation and low-income students than their peer institutions. In addition, HBCU faculty and staff come from families and communities with lower annual income, homeownership rates and net worth than the national average.

Earlier this year, the initiative formed a distinguished advisory board including leaders from ASPEN Institute, Bank of America Foundation, Clark Atlanta University, Hope Credit Union, Howard University, JPMorgan Chase, Kindred Futures, McKinsey & Company, NAACP, Prudential, Student Freedom Initiative and Urban Institute. UNCF is partnering with the advisory board and other national organizations to support campaign activation.

How to Participate

• Wealth In Numbers Survey: Current HBCU students, faculty and staff may take the online Wealth in Numbers survey through Sept. 30, 2025.
• Campus Champions Informational Webinar: The initiative actively seeks campus champions who will serve as connectors, advocates, and catalysts to spread awareness about the wealth-building survey across their campus communities.  Institutional representatives interested in serving as champions are encouraged to register for an informational webinar, held on Thursday, Aug.14 at 5PM EST.

For more information on the HBCU Wealth Building Initiative, please contact Victoria Smith, senior strategy analyst, UNCF Institute for Capacity Building (victoria.smith@uncf.org).

 

###

 

About UNCF

UNCF is one of the nation’s largest and most effective supporters of higher education and serves as a leading advocate for college-bound students. Since its founding in 1944, UNCF has raised more than $6 billion to support students’ access to higher education, provide scholarships and strengthen historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Each year, UNCF supports more than 50,000 students at more than 1,100 colleges and universities across the country including 37 UNCF-member HBCUs. Through its efforts, UNCF has helped generations of students to get to and through college. We believe a college education plays a vital role in fortifying the pipeline of leaders and professionals who contribute to the advancement of our society. Our logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and our 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 Instagram.

 

About UNCF ICB

UNCF’s Institute for Capacity Building (ICB) is a registered subsidiary of the United Negro College Fund, a 501(c)(3) organization. UNCF ICB partners with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to drive institutional transformation, student success, and community advancement. Its mission centers on equipping these institutions with the tools, strategies, and partnerships needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving higher education landscape.