UNCF Gray's Way

Black Issues in Higher Education, Sept 30, 1999 by Ronald Roach

Usually designated for scholarships in specific fields, for curriculum improvements or for faculty training programs, restricted gifts have rolled into the UNCF in part because philanthropists and foundations have become more selective about the use of their donations.

"Bill Gray has taken fund raising to a new level," says Dorothy Yancy, president of Johnson C. Smith University. "There is an energy and aggressiveness about him when he talks about Black colleges. He's been able to go into board rooms and convince people to contribute who hadn't contributed before."

Yancy cites the $1 million her university received through the UNCF from the Lilly Foundation as an example. The grant has allowed Johnson C. Smith to jump-start renovation of its administration offices in an historic building where plumbing and wiring sorely needed updating.

But Yancy says it was difficult to raise money for the project until the university got the Lilly grant. "Once we got the Lilly money, we got more encouraging calls to help us renovate the building," she recalls.

Another bonus, she says, was the technical advice from the UNCF that the college received in preparing the proposal. "We've never gotten technical assistance like that before," she says.

"Gray has diversified the sources of support" for UNCF colleges, says Dr. Shirley A.R. Lewis, president of Paine College. Grants from foundations like Lilly and the Mellon Foundation have been a "Godsend for a small, private, tuition-driven college like Paine," she says.

Nevertheless, some college presidents are concerned about the growing trend toward restricted giving.

"I know donors are more inclined to give restricted gifts," says Lewis. "But we must articulate the need for unrestricted funds. UNCF is our most valuable source for unrestricted funds."

The trend toward restricted funds coupled with The College Fund's behemoth-sized presence in the marketplace pose a bitter situation for others who are attempting to raise money for Black college students.

"When we go out and meet with potential donors, the first thing they say is, `We gave to UNCF,'" Ashley says. Still, he adds, Gray and The College Fund have paved the way.

Gray has "already made a case for Black colleges," he says. "So, we just educate them about the [61] public Black colleges."

Programming for Success

UNCF expansion in program administration also is impressive. In 1990, the fund had roughly 100 educational programs under its purview. Today, it administers about 450, which include student scholarships, faculty fellowships and research and technical assistance agreements. As a result, it has begun organizing and leading consortiums with public HBCUs and White-majority institutions as partners.

Last year, UNCF outbid the University of Maryland system and other consortiums to establish a $41 million U.S. State Department program to assist historically disadvantaged institutions in South Africa.

Leveraging the resources of its member schools and partnering with public HBCUs, the organization also has established research and technical assistance programs for federal agencies. Among the examples: