UNCF Receives $1 Million Donation from Amazon

The donation will support UNCF’s 37 member HBCUs and students affected by the pandemic

UNCF has been awarded a $1 million donation from Amazon as part of the retailer’s social justice mission. The donation is part of a larger $10 million donation made yesterday to 11 organizations selected by Amazon’s Black Employee Network for their work to improve the lives of  African Americans.

“This substantial gift comes at a time when social, health and economic issues are all at the forefront of our national conversation,” said Dr. Michael L. Lomax, UNCF’s president and CEO. “With the weight of the health pandemic overly affecting communities of color, particularly historically black colleges and universities and their students, this donation is very much needed and welcomed. We really appreciate the unrestricted funding and the assistance it enables us to provide our member HBCUs and students. Thank you, Amazon!”

“The inequitable and brutal treatment of black and African American Americans is unacceptable,” a source from Amazon explained about how the donation came about. “We believe black lives matter. We stand in solidarity with our black employees, customers and partners, and are committed to helping build a country and a world where everyone can live with dignity and free from fear. As part of that effort, Amazon will donate a total of $10 million to organizations to bring about social justice and improve the lives of black and African Americans.”

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About UNCF UNCF (the United Negro College Fund) is the nation’s largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports students’ education and development through scholarships and other programs, supports and strengthens its 37 member colleges and universities and advocates for the importance of minority education and college readiness. UNCF institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding 17 percent of African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment and curriculum and faculty development programs.

Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at over 1,100 colleges and universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized motto, ‟A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”^®