About Institute for Capacity Building
No single group of institutions is more responsible for the economic, social and legal progress of our nation’s Black families than those institutions of higher education serving primarily Black students.
The legacy of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs) is one of remarkable progress, providing the nation with unparalleled organizations who advance equity while contending with marginalization and injustice.
UNCF founded the Institute for Capacity Building in 2006 to build upon its heritage of supporting Black colleges and their outsized impact on student success and community progress.
Recent News and Events
UNCF Institute for Capacity Building Announces Recipients of 2023-2024 Faculty Research Mini-Grant Programs
UNCF’s (United Negro College Fund) Institute for Capacity Building (ICB) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2023-2024 Faculty Research Mini-Grant programs, sponsored by…
UNCF Names Legendary Educator Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole as President-In-Residence and Co-Chairperson of its $1 Billion Capital Campaign
UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is honored today to announce that distinguished scholar, anthropologist and academic pacesetter Johnnetta Betsch Cole, Ph.D., has accepted a president-in-residence…
UNITE 2024
For those who believe educational equity cannot be achieved without racial justice. That advancing Black colleges and universities is critical to advancing, not just Black…
UNCF Report Creates Blueprint to Activate HBCU Leadership in Climate Change and Sustainability
Released at the 2024 Higher Education Climate Leadership Summit, “The HBCU Climate Action Blueprint: Sustainable Campuses, Empowered Communities” explores the current activities and future aspirations…
PGIM, UNCF Study Finds Private HBCU Endowments Need Investment Support
Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are a critical learning path for Black students seeking quality higher education in the United States. Yet, these institutions…
UNCF Receives $100 Million Grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to Support Capital Campaign
During a press conference held today at Clark Atlanta University, UNCF (United Negro College Fund) announced that Lilly Endowment Inc. has awarded a $100 million unrestricted grant…
CNN Philanthropic group gifts United Negro College Fund $100 million grant to help boost HBCU endowments
The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) has received a landmark $100 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. in support of a capital campaign aimed at…
UNCF Institute for Capacity Building Awarded 2023 Amazon Web Services IMAGINE Grant to Develop HBCUv
The UNCF Institute for Capacity Building (ICB) was awarded the 2023 Amazon Web Services (AWS) IMAGINE Grant, open to registered non-profit organizations. They will collaborate…
FORBES Turning 80, United Negro College Fund Stages A Revival
The Forbes article highlights the resurgence of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) under the leadership of CEO Michael L. Lomax, detailing its return to…
RECAP REPORT: UNITE 2023
UNITE is a transformative annual gathering hosted by the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) that serves as a rallying point for champions of Black higher…
“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 Black colleges and universities to propel our shared pursuit of student success, community advancement and the fight for racial-justice equity.
A RACIAL-JUSTICE APPROACH
to institutional transformation and educational equity.
How we define racial justice
The fair and just empowerment of all racial identities, resulting in equal opportunities, equitable outcomes and liberation for all people. Racial justice is achieved through responsive systems, structures and processes, as well as deliberate, dynamic, proactive and preventative supports—all consciously designed to right historic and social wrongs.
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 momentum toward transformation.
Insist on network-wide sharing of knowledge and best practices to achieve scale.
Our Background
UNCF: An unceasing champion for Black higher education
UNCF was born out of exclusion—founded in 1944 to safeguard, through joint institutional fundraising, the only means for most Black citizens to attain a higher education. We soon became the nation’s largest college scholarship provider for Black and other marginalized students, further establishing ourselves as an engine of the Black middle class.
In 2006, UNCF doubled down on supporting and expediting the transformation of our partner colleges and universities to become more sustainable and more impactful. Out of this effort grew the Institute for Capacity Building.
UNCF: An unceasing champion for Black students and institutes of Black higher education.
Black Colleges and Universities
Black and other marginalized students
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