Ivy League schools received 178 times more foundation funding than HBCUs, report finds
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A renewed analysis found the funding gap persisted between 2015 and 2019, despite growing attention to HBCU philanthropy in recent years.
A renewed examination of private philanthropy found that the average Ivy League university received 178 times more foundation funding than the average historically Black college or university between 2015 and 2019. The HBCU foundation funding gap echoes an earlier funding analysis and comes despite MacKenzie Scott’s HBCU giving in recent years.
The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education revisited findings from a 2023 report by Candid and ABFE. JBHE reported that Ivy League institutions received a combined $5.5 billion from 2015 through 2019, compared with $303 million for HBCUs.
That translated to an annual average of about $110 million for each Ivy League school and $618,588 for each HBCU. When researchers compared HBCUs with colleges sharing similar characteristics, including size, location and institution type, HBCUs still received only about two-thirds as much foundation support.
Large-foundation giving to HBCUs declined from roughly $65 million in 2002 to $45 million in 2019, a 30% drop not adjusted for inflation. HBCUs’ share of those foundations’ overall grant dollars fell from 0.41% to 0.13%.
The number of large foundations supporting HBCUs also decreased from 158 to 100 during that period. Looking more broadly at 2015 through 2019, 1,607 foundations awarded 10,278 grants to HBCUs.
Funding within the sector was uneven. The 10 best-funded HBCUs received 52% of all foundation dollars directed to the institutions, while private HBCUs received more than twice as much funding as public HBCUs.
The report also found that foundations devoted a smaller proportion of their HBCU grants to general operating support than they did for Ivy League and similarly situated schools. Unrestricted funding gives colleges more control over staffing, infrastructure, academic programs and immediate needs.
Candid and ABFE recommended consistent support, stronger relationships with HBCUs, investment in institutional capacity and more unrestricted funding. The organizations noted that HBCUs represent about 3% of U.S. colleges and universities but award 13% of bachelor’s degrees earned by Black graduates.
Giving increased after the 2020 racial justice protests, including large donations from Scott. However, HBCU staff interviewed for the report questioned whether that attention would last.
The HBCU foundation funding gap reflects a broader philanthropic funding disparity facing institutions that have long educated Black leaders while operating with fewer resources. The report argues that their record of doing more with less should not become a reason for funders to continue giving them less.