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The
Kresge
Foundation
grants
UNCF
$1.12M
to
strengthen
HBCUS
Funds
Will
Renew
Support
of the
Institute
for
Capacity
Building
WASHINGTON
– UNCF
(the
United
Negro
College
Fund),
the
nation’s
largest
and most
effective
minority
education
organization,
announced
today a
$1.12
million
grant
from The
Kresge
Foundation,
a
three-year
commitment
to renew
support
of the
Institute
for
Capacity
Building
(ICB)
and
formally
launch
its
newly-enhanced
operating
model.
This new
ICB
grant
will
enable
UNCF to
provide
technical
assistance
to 12 of
its 37
member
colleges
and
universities,
including
$214,000
in
institutional
awards.
These
funds
will be
aimed to
attract
and
retain
growing
numbers
of
African
American
and
other
traditionally-underrepresented
students
seeking
a
college
education.
The
grant
will
also
support:
• Best
practices
in the
core
areas of
institutional
advancement,
enrollment
and
fiscal
management;
• The
hiring
of new
ICB
program
staff;
•
Production
and
dissemination
of an
annual
ICB
publication;
• Six
training
webinars
produced
on best
practices
related
to
enrollment
management,
institutional
advancement
and
reaffirmation
preparation;
and
•
Reaffirmation
preparation
for
network-wide
impact
and use.
“UNCF
values
The
Kresge
Foundation’s
sustained
commitment
to our
cause,
and this
renewed
support
will
only
further
our
mission
of
helping
more
deserving
African-American,
low-income,
and
first-generation
students
make it
to and
through
college,”
said Dr.
Michael
L.
Lomax,
UNCF
President
and CEO.
“We are
deeply
grateful
for this
continued
partnership
and
generous
financial
support.”
UNCF
launched
the ICB
in 2006,
with $8
million
in seed
funding
from The
Kresge
Foundation.
ICB’s
primary
objectives
are to
strengthen
UNCF’s
member
institutions
and
ensure
all
remain
fully
accredited.
This
includes
customized
technical
assistance,
institutional
grant
awards,
professional
development,
and
communities
of
practice
that
provide
opportunities
for idea
exchange
and
interaction.
“The
Kresge
Foundation
has a
long
history
of
supporting
HBCUs
(historically
black
colleges
and
universities),”
stated
Chera D.
Reid,
Education
Program
Officer
at The
Kresge
Foundation.
“HBCUs
are
critical
institutions
in the
college
completion
agenda,
particularly
for
African-American
and
underrepresented
students,
and we
want to
see
these
colleges
and
universities
continue
to
thrive.
The work
of UNCF
through
ICB
aligns
directly
with
this
goal.”
UNCF
member
institutions
have
lauded
ICB as
critical
in
helping
their
colleges
remain
viable
and
competitive
choices
for
incoming
students
of color
seeking
a
college
education.
Since
ICB’s
launch,
many
have
seen
increases
in
private
giving,
enrollment,
and
improved
performance
during
the
reaffirmation
of
accreditation
process.
UNCF
believes
these
are
clear
returns
on
investments
of
targeted
technical
assistance,
thanks
to the
support
of
Kresge.
Claflin
University
in
Orangeburg,
S.C.
used
their
ICB
funds to
help
launch a
major
capital
campaign
in 2011
with a
goal of
$94.6M,
which
they
have now
reached.
The
university
has seen
increases
in
student
retention,
student
enrollment,
and
their
endowment,
and
Claflin
currently
has the
highest
percentage
of
alumni
giving
of any
HBCU at
52.2%.
“UNCF’s
ICB has
measurably
helped
our
university
move to
higher
heights,
from
substantially
increasing
our
fundraising
efforts
to
increasing
our
student
enrollment,”
said Dr.
Henry N.
Tisdale,
President
of
Claflin
University,
which
was
named
HBCU of
the year
in July
by HBCU
Digest.
“We are
now able
to
compete
with
some of
the top
institutions
in this
country
to
attract
and
retain
some of
the best
and
brightest
students,
faculty
and
staff.”
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