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 Celebrates 20th Anniversary of its Institute for Capacity Building, Invites National Leaders to Define the Next Era of HBCU Transformation at UNITE 2026
Founding Executive Director Dr. Elfred Anthony Pinkard named UNCF President-in-Residence and Chair of the Institute’s 20th Anniversary Campaign ATLANTA, GA (May 4, 2026)—Today, UNCF announced…
UNITE 2026 Workshops and Special Meetings
UNITE is the premier summit delivering on the promise of HBCUs. Held Sunday, July 19 through Thursday, July 23 in Atlanta, Georgia, UNITE features plenary sessions, breakout sessions, workshops and special meetings organized around our five guiding pillars – Institutional Excellence,…
Power to Promise: Advancing Wealth Building at HBCUs
HBCUs are among the most powerful engines of economic mobility in the nation. But mobility alone is not enough. Power to Promise shifts the focus—from…
UNCF Announces Winners of the Sixth Annual HBCU Stock Pitch Competition
Boston, MA — April 13, 2026, UNCF today announced the winners of the 2026 HBCU Stock Pitch Competition, a national competition that challenges student teams…
UNCF’s Institute for Capacity Building Launching the HBCU Future Leaders Institute
A select group of HBCU students will convene during UNITE 2026 Summit to accelerate their ability to support the transformation of their respective campuses ATLANTA,…
HBCU GO and UNCF Announce Groundbreaking Strategic Partnership with Launch of Video Content Series “HBCUVoices: Executive Leaders Unfiltered”
In a powerful alignment of media, mission and movement, the Allen Media Group free-streaming digital platform and premier destination for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) sports…
UNCF Expands Strategic Partnerships to Strengthen HBCU Leadership Stability and Executive Preparedness
ATLANTA, GA (March 11, 2026) — Today UNCF’s Institute for Capacity Building (ICB) announced a new partnership with the Higher Education Leadership Foundation (HELF) at Wiley University in Marshall, TX, and the HBCU Executive Leadership…
Project ACCLAIM in Boston: Advancing Structured Pathways into Asset Management
Project ACCLAIM’s recent visit to Boston, coordinated by UNCF’s Institute for Capacity Building (ICB), reflected a deliberate, multi-campus effort to strengthen durable pathways into asset…
UNCF Expands Project ACCLAIM, Welcoming Morgan State and Florida A&M Universities
UNCF is proud to announce the expansion of Project ACCLAIM (Accelerating Learning in Asset Investment Management) to include Morgan State University and Florida A&M University.…
Stable Leadership: The Foundation of HBCU Success
Stable Leadership: The Foundation of HBCU Success explores one of the most urgent and underexamined challenges facing Historically Black Colleges and Universities today: presidential turnover.…
UNITE 2026 Registration Now Open: Dr. Harold L. Martin Sr. Announced as Commencement Speaker, Complimentary Tickets for Every HBCU
ATLANTA, GA (Jan. 12, 2026)—Today, UNCF announced the official launch of registration for UNITE 2026, its flagship national convening focused on advancing leadership, innovation and long-term capacity across historically…
Phill Gross of Adage Capital Management Inspires Project ACCLAIM Students at Howard University
Last week, Phill Gross, Co-Founder of Adage Capital Management, visited Howard University’s School of Business as a guest lecturer for students participating in Project ACCLAIM…
“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:
Build Capacity
Prioritize development of the people, processes and technologies required to provide high-quality educational experiences.
Ensure Sustainability
Identify sponsored, grant-funded or revenue-generating activities to fuel continued transformation.
Advance Collective Action
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
JULY 19-23, 2026
Signia by Hilton | Atlanta, GA