Building brilliance: How a new HBCU initiative is reimagining impact

Credit: Contributed

Credit: Contributed

The goal of the HBCU Brilliance Initiative is both practical and ambitious: to strengthen institutional capacity, unlock access to capital and co-create development strategies that align academic missions with community and economic opportunity. This is not a one-size-fits-all model. Instead, it is meeting institutions where they are and walking alongside them as they move toward project completion and long-term sustainability.

Since its launch, the initiative has awarded $40,000 predevelopment grants to each participating institution, providing critical early-stage capital to advance campus planning, land use strategy and catalytic development efforts. Beyond the direct financial investment, the program has unlocked an extraordinary breadth of access to knowledge, technical tools and subject-matter expertise that would have otherwise been cost-prohibitive — connecting institutions with leading experts in real estate development, finance, master planning, public-private partnerships, capital stacking, community engagement and development.

While the program launched in August with a series of virtual meetings, the vision came fully to life during the inaugural in-person HBCU Brilliance Initiative cohort convening last month. Hosted at Fort Valley State University, the convening was made possible by the generous support from the Kresge Foundation and in partnership with the university. The gathering brought together presidents and senior leaders from 11 HBCUs including Fort Valley State University, the Interdenominational Theological Center and Paine College. Together, these leaders represent more than institutional diversity, they embody a shared commitment to student success, community impact and long-term institutional resilience.

During the convening, we hosted what we called an exploratory conversation, led in partnership with UNCF, a major partner in this work, and graciously hosted by state Sen. Sonya Halpern, D-Atlanta.

The purpose was simple, but powerful: to explore how nationally recognized HBCU-serving organizations might move beyond parallel efforts toward a shared, coordinated model of impact. A model that reduces burden on institutions and creates seamless access to capital, expertise and opportunity.

Participants included newly engaged partners from Harvard University and its Legacy of Slavery Initiative; the Executive Leadership Institute at Clark Atlanta University; the Student Freedom Initiative; the Thurgood Marshall College Fund; Self-Help Bank; the Democracy Collaborative; and the Kresge Foundation, as well as several aligned funders invited to participate by Kresge including Kellogg and Cisco.

What emerged was a clear sense of alignment. We all expressed a collective desire to function more like a unified team, each bringing distinct strengths, but moving in concert to ensure HBCUs are never navigating complex challenges alone.

This collective impact-building effort is still in its early stages, with additional partners like Hope Credit Union, set to join a follow-up virtual meeting in February and ultimately a strategic meeting planned at UNCF’s Unite conference this summer. If done well, it could reshape how institutions access support, how funders deploy resources and how long-term sustainability is measured across the HBCU landscape.

The HBCU Brilliance Initiative is actively seeking continued partnership and blended capital support from corporations, foundations, civic organizations and government entities to sustain and scale its impact. There remains a critical need for flexible, blended capital — combining philanthropic grants, low-interest funds, guarantees and public investment — to support both the catalytic campus development projects at participating HBCUs and the operational infrastructure of the initiative itself.

For Georgia in particular, home to some of the nation’s most influential HBCUs, this work matters deeply. Investing in their brilliance is not an act of charity. It is a commitment to our shared prosperity.

HBCUs were founded with purpose, resilience and excellence woven into their DNA. They deserve systems that recognize that birthright and invest accordingly.

The HBCU Brilliance Initiative is just beginning. Our immediate responsibility is to continue supporting this inaugural cohort with care, humility and accountability as they move forward. Our broader charge is to build something enduring … a model of collective impact worthy of the institutions it serves and will serve for generations to come.

Christina Alexis is the head of the HBCU Brilliance Initiative at Reinvestment Fund where she leads the design and implementation of a comprehensive national strategy to advance and strengthen historically Black colleges and universities.

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