One of the most significant ways The United Methodist Church helps make quality education accessible to all is through the Black College Fund (BCF). The fund supports the 11 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUS) related to the church – the largest number of black colleges and universities receiving funding from any church body in the United States.

The UM-related black colleges and universities, far beyond proportion to their numbers and financial resources, are responsible for educating some of the world’s most effective and recognized leaders. That impressive cadre includes preachers, district superintendents, bishops, college professors and presidents, general agency staff, legislators and community leaders.

Among the well-known graduates are Dr. Joycelyn Elders, a 1952 graduate of Philander Smith College and the first African American and the second woman to serve as the U.S. surgeon general, and James L. Farmer Jr., a 1938 Wiley College graduate and civil rights leader who helped found the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE).

When your congregation supports the Black College Fund, it can be confident that its gifts will provide vital support to students. More than 95 percent of all proceeds of the fund flow directly to HBCU campuses, where they help to strengthen programs, provide vital infrastructure and keep tuition costs low. We encourage the church to support the fund at 100 percent. Urge your church to give faithfully to the Black College Fund, or contact the fund at bcfumc@gbhem.org to inquire about individual donations.