For generations, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have served as engines of opportunity, leadership, and economic mobility for Black Americans. Their impact is especially visible in Maryland, home to institutions such as Morgan State University, one of the nation’s leading public HBCUs. Although HBCUs represent just 3% of U.S. colleges and universities, they produce 40% of Black engineers, 50% of Black lawyers, 50% of Black doctors, and 80% of Black judges.1
For many fundholders at the Baltimore Community Foundation (BCF), those statistics reflect lived experience. Interviews with several BCF fundholders reveal common themes: gratitude, opportunity, community, economic mobility and a commitment to ensuring future generations succeed. Beyond supporting their alma maters, they are also investing in organizations that help Black college students overcome barriers and thrive during and after college.
For Kaliq and Joe Simms, HBCUs are woven into their family’s story. Both are graduates of Morgan State University, and their commitment to HBCUs spans generations. Today, their daughter attends Spelman College and their son attends North Carolina A&T State University. They describe their HBCU experience as transformative, providing not only an education but also professional opportunities, lifelong relationships, and financial stability.
“We support HBCUs because HBCUs supported us,” shared Kaliq. “Our philanthropy is rooted in gratitude, responsibility, and legacy.” The Simms’ commitment goes beyond donated dollars; Joe serves as the Board President for the Morgan State University Foundation.
The Simms view their giving as an investment in future generations. Their support helps strengthen scholarships, academic programs, and institutional growth so future generations can benefit from the same environment that helped shape their own success.
That sense of gratitude is also evident in the experience of Paul Clary. Paul credits Morgan State University with helping shape his entrepreneurial journey. He recalls professors who invested in students and a campus culture that fostered ambition and achievement. “My experience at Morgan was incredibly formative, both personally and professionally,” he said.
Paul and his wife Alecia support HBCUs through organizations such as the Student Freedom Initiative, which addresses the wealth gap between Black and White Americans by increasing access to HBCUs. Paul explained that the initiative’s pay-it-forward lending model helps current students while creating opportunities for future generations.
“There are a lot of organizations that support HBCUs,” he explained. “What really intrigued us about Student Freedom Initiative is that they provide continuous solutions and support for students.”
For the Clarys, HBCUs remain essential, “The history and tradition are great, but we support HBCUs because of what they are doing today to advance African Americans,” they shared.
Clary’s business partner, entrepreneur and philanthropist Phil Croskey, shares a similar perspective. Originally from Cleveland, he came to Baltimore to attend Morgan State University and built a successful career in Maryland. He credits Morgan with helping him develop the confidence and perspective that continue to shape his leadership.
“At Morgan State, I saw Black excellence as normal,” Croskey said. “There was an expectation that you could and would succeed.”
Today, Croskey supports students through the Williams-Franklin Foundation, which helps HBCU students facing financial obstacles that might otherwise force them to leave school. He believes philanthropy should help remove barriers while expanding opportunity. There are so many students whose dreams have been deferred because they owe three thousand dollars…I’ve been privileged to have some success in business, and I have figured out that my purpose for being here is to be a blessing for others,” he said.
BCF fundholders Scott Shane and Francie Weeks did not attend HBCUs but have donated to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and UNCF (United Negro College Fund) for years. Per Scott, “After we moved to Baltimore in 1983, I came to appreciate Morgan, perhaps especially their incredible choir and the talent and pride it represents, and Coppin, which has been a door to higher education for generations of folks who might not otherwise have one. So Francie and I are happy to do our small part to support HBCUs.”
Across all conversations, one message stood out: HBCUs are not only preserving Black history, they are actively creating it. Fundholders described these institutions as places where Black achievement, scholarship, leadership, and culture are celebrated and sustained. The Simms family called HBCUs “living archives of Black intellectual life” while also noting that every graduating class creates a new chapter in that history.
Croskey echoed that sentiment, describing HBCUs as enduring institutions that have served Black Americans since the aftermath of slavery. “The story is still being told,” he said. “They are creating history by creating Black excellence and success.”
For Maryland’s Black community, the impact of HBCUs extends far beyond campus boundaries. These institutions educate leaders, create pathways to economic mobility, cultivate community, and preserve cultural legacy. For BCF fundholders, supporting HBCUs is more than charitable giving. It is an investment in people, in opportunity, and in the future of Black communities.
