HBCUs Chart a Sustainable Future at 16th Annual HBCU Philanthropy Symposium

As federal funding, donor priorities, and enrollment pressures continue to shift the higher education landscape, Historically Black Colleges and Universities are rethinking how they sustain themselves for the next generation. That challenge was front and center at the 16th annual HBCU Philanthropy Symposium, hosted by Delaware State University from July 12 through July 15, 2026, at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, under this year's theme, Building HBCU Capacity in an Era of Disruption.

The four-day convening brought together presidents, advancement leaders, philanthropic partners, and corporate innovators from across the HBCU community around a single, urgent question: how to ensure the long-term sustainability and future of these institutions. Founded and presented by Delaware State University in July 2010, the symposium was created in response to a shifting philanthropic landscape that made traditional funding sources harder to secure. What began as a regional gathering of advancement professionals has grown into a national movement, expanding through partnerships with the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, the Kresge Foundation, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Complete College America, the United Negro College Fund, and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, among others.

A National Agenda for HBCU Advancement
This year's program opened with remarks from Dr. Tony Allen and Dr. LaShawne Pryor, Interim Vice President for Institutional Advancement at DSU, followed by a fireside chat with Congresswoman Alma Adams (NC-12).

• A landmark HBCU Presidents discussion featuring leaders from Norfolk State University, Medgar Evers College, Virginia State University, and Hampton University, moderated by Chicago State University President Zaldwaynaka Scott, Esq.
• Amazon Web Services sessions on artificial intelligence, including hands-on training with agentic AI for university administrators.
• The Strada Education Foundation's Strada Scholars Model for building a stronger pipeline of donors.
• Sessions on the business of HBCU athletics with the MEAC and SWAC, the adult learner in partnership with Sallie Mae, global philanthropy across the African continent, and a federal legislative update from the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.
• A career-readiness session led by Braven and DSU, and a keynote from Anwar Miller, Head of Google MSI Strategy.

The symposium concluded with a closing session on the $150 million Moody Foundation grant to Huston-Tillotson University, featuring President and CEO Dr. Melva Wallace, and a panel exploring lessons from recent MacKenzie Scott gifts and how HBCUs can prepare for the next transformational investment.

The Case for the HBCU Investment
Throughout the convening, one argument came to define the conversation: HBCUs deliver among the strongest returns on investment in American higher education. These institutions graduate outstanding, career-ready individuals with fewer resources than their peers, offering lower tuition and less student debt than many predominantly white institutions, while changing the life trajectories of young people of color across the country.

Now in its sixteenth year, the HBCU Philanthropy Symposium continues to serve as a launch point for growth and philanthropic enrichment among fundraisers, funders, leaders, and advocates across HBCUs and Minority Serving Institutions, with Delaware State University remaining its founding host. Founded in 1891, DSU is a public, land-grant institution based in Dover recognized nationally for its excellence in STEM innovation and its commitment to access, opportunity, and student success. To learn more, visit desu.edu.