About Institute for Capacity Building
No single group of institutions have been more innovative in their efforts to ensure all families can pursue the benefits of higher education than HBCUs.
The legacy of HBCUs is one of remarkable progress, helping the nation deliver on offering meaningful access to the transformative potential of education to all who strive for it.
As a direct result, the economic, social and cultural benefits have been substantive across multiple generations.
UNCF founded the Institute for Capacity Building in 2006 to build upon its heritage of supporting HBCUs and the outsized impact they have on student success and community progress.
Recent News and Events
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 Atlanta, GA – [August 7, 2025] –…
UNITE 2025 Summit Spotlights HBCU Leaders and Institutions Advancing Educational Excellence
WASHINGTON, DC (July 30th, 2025) — During the UNITE 2025 Summit, UNCF recognized HBCU leaders and institutions driving excellence on the campuses of Historically Black…
Joint Conference to Investigate Global Partnerships between African Higher Education Institutions and Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Groundbreaking virtual symposium to be held Sept. 17 Atlanta, GA / Harare, Zimbabwe / Accra, Ghana (July 23, 2025)—Today, UNCF’s Institute for Capacity Building (ICB),…
REIMAGINING STUDENT LEADERSHIP AS A STRATEGY FOR TRANSFORMATION
During the 2024–2025 academic year, the UNCF Institute for Capacity Building (ICB) launched the inaugural cohort of the Student Transformation Fellowship, an ambitious new initiative…
Inside the UNCF National Pre-Alumni Council: Building HBCU Legacy Before Graduation
How UNCF NPAC shapes student leaders, supports alumni giving, and empowers the next generation of HBCU advocates. The UNCF National Pre-Alumni Council (NPAC) is more…
Building the Future of Asset Management: Project ACCLAIM’s Inaugural Campus Visit
Earlier this year, UNCF’s Project ACCLAIM team embarked on its inaugural campus visit to the Atlanta University Center, marking a significant milestone in the initiative’s…
HBCU Africa Education Coalition Announces 4th Annual Conference:
Theme: Coalition Building in the Age of Internationalization and Globalization
WILLINGBORO, NJ – June 13, 2025 – The HBCU Africa Education Coalition (HAEC), a leading advocate for equitable access to study abroad opportunities for students…
UNCF’s Institute for Capacity Building Launches Career Pathways Initiative Report to Elevate HBCU Student Success & Career Outcomes
Washington, D.C. (June 2025) — Today, the UNCF Institute for Capacity Building (ICB) released the highly anticipated Career Pathways Initiative (CPI) report, providing a data-driven…
Together We Lead: A New Era of HBCU Transformation
By Michael L. Lomax, Harry L. Williams and Jim Runcie From 2020 to 2024, while college enrollment declined nationwide, HBCUs in the Transformation Project grew…
New Research by UNCF and Healthy Minds Network Shows Strong Mental Health Outcomes Among HBCU Students
UNCF’s latest research highlights the mental health advantages of HBCU students, showing stronger flourishing rates, a greater sense of belonging, and lower anxiety levels compared to their peers nationally. The study explores ‘The HBCU Effect’ on mental well-being and invites institutions to a webinar on March 20 to discuss key findings. Read more and register today.
UNCF Announces Launch of HBCU Wealth Building Initiative
In February 2025, UNCF launched a new initiative designed to amplify the role of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in building and sustaining wealth for their communities.
Assessing the Financial Risk and Health of UNCF Institutions
The UNCF Financial Benchmarking Report offers an in-depth analysis of the financial landscape of UNCF Member Institutions, highlighting both the progress made and the challenges…
“The strategic, deliberate and collaborative advocacy of UNCF led to historic funding levels, making the difference between our surviving and thriving.”
—Dr. George T. French, Jr.
President, Clark Atlanta UniversityINSTITUTE FOR CAPACITY BUILDING
Mission Statement
We partner with HBCUs to propel student success and community advancement.
We partner with institutions to:
Prioritize development of the people, processes and technologies required to provide high-quality educational experiences.
Identify sponsored, grant-funded or revenue-generating activities to fuel continued transformation.
Insist on network-wide sharing of knowledge and best practices to achieve scale.
Our Background
UNCF: An unceasing champion for HBCUs
UNCF was founded in 1944 to safeguard, through joint institutional fundraising, a network of colleges and universities founded to provide everyone with access to higher education. We soon became one of the nation’s largest college scholarship providers/students, further establishing ourselves as an engine for expanding economic opportunity.
In 2006, UNCF doubled down on supporting and expediting the transformation of our HBCUs to become more sustainable and more impactful. Out of this effort grew the Institute for Capacity Building.
UNCF: An unceasing champion for HBCUs
The Institute for Capacity Building celebrates the existence and resilience of HBCUs by leading transformation strategies.
Chanel L. Fort
Director of Academic Innovation
Stillman College