Thurgood Marshall College Fund:
The Best of the Best

After winning a difficult racial discrimination case against the University of Maryland, Thurgood Marshall declared, “We're in the education business!” It is this legacy and commitment to education that is the foundation of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund's (TMCF) mission to prepare a new generation of leaders.

In 1987, Thurgood Marshall College Fund (formally Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund) was founded under the leadership of Dr. N. Joyce Payne, former Director of the Office for the Advancement of Public Black Colleges (a division of the National Association of State Universities and Land- Grant Colleges), in cooperation with Miller Brewing Company, Sony Music, NBA, Reebok, and the American Association for State Colleges and Universities.

Public Historically Black Colleges and Universities have been educating young men and women for over 168 years. TMCF is the only national organization to provide merit based scholarships, programmatic and capacity building support to 47 public HBCUs. Since our inception, TMCF has provided more than $90.5 million in scholarships and programmatic support to students attending our 47 member public HBCUs and 6 Historically Black Law Schools. TMCF member universities are a critical source of higher education for African Americans. More than 80% of all students enrolled in historically black colleges and universities attend TMCF member schools. Many public HBCU graduates have become leaders in the business, government and entertainment industries. However, few of these achievements would be possible without the support of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. 90% of all students attending public HBCUs require some form of financial assistance.