UNCF's Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute Marks 30th Anniversary, Named New Home of National Effort to Close the Gap in Funded HBCU Research

Milestone anniversary coincides with FDPRI's selection as the permanent home of a MacArthur Foundation-backed HBCU Fellowship Collective that has already helped HBCU faculty scholars across the nation win nearly $500,000 in research funding

Washington, DC, July 22, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- UNCF, the nation's largest and most effective minority education organization, today celebrated the 30th anniversary of its Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute (FDPRI), which has become one of the foremost research organizations focused on the educational status of African Americans and other underrepresented populations.

The organization also announced that FDPRI has been named the new permanent home of the HBCU Fellowship Collective, a program for humanities and social science scholars at historically Black colleges and universities. Since 2023, MacArthur foundation has invested $1.5 million in this initiative.

“The Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute is proud to celebrate 30 years of exceptional and cutting-edge research that has elevated the discourse and shaped the public narrative on the legacy and extensive contributions of historically Black colleges and universities,” said Dr. Jelani M. Favors, vice president, FDPRI. “We are honored to carry the name of UNCF's founder and to earnestly promote research agendas that raise critically important questions about the past, present, and future of Black colleges.

Moreover, we are dedicated to advancing the mission and mantra of UNCF, recognizing that ‘a mind is a terrible thing to waste, but a wonderful thing to invest in.’ Therefore, we are eager to continue in our work, carving new pathways of opportunities for our students, building fruitful partnerships that benefit our member institutions and advancing research that effectively demonstrates why there has never been a better time to enroll and invest in HBCUs.”

The milestone caps three decades of research for FDPRI, which was founded in honor of Dr. Frederick D. Patterson — visionary educator, longtime president of Tuskegee Institute, and founder of UNCF.

Over that span, FDPRI has produced rigorous, actionable research that has shaped the public narrative on the legacy and contributions of historically Black colleges and universities including reports such as HBCUs Punching Above Their Weight, UNCF's HBCU Economic Impact Report and The HBCU Effect alumni workforce study — work that has guided policymakers, educators, and philanthropists working to expand educational opportunity for Black students and other underrepresented minorities.

The HBCU Fellowship Collective was founded in 2022 and designed by leading HBCU scholars as an intellectual hub for humanities and social science scholars across the nation's more than 100 HBCUs, giving faculty the time, mentorship and funding access needed to produce and publish groundbreaking research and to train the next generation of students.

Its signature program, an annual summer writing workshop held in Atlanta, brings together 10 scholars from different HBCUs for three intensive days to draft grant and fellowship applications.

In its first three years, Workshop Fellows have collectively won nearly $500,000 in nationally competitive research funding — including support from the American Council of Learned Societies, the National Endowment for the Humanities, Princeton University's Effron Center for the Study of America, and the Stanford Humanities Center — for research that covers topics such as contemporary Black emigration from the United States, the politics of crime control in Sweden, land use and cultivation in the Caribbean and social and political movements in 1960s Detroit.

Following a competitive review of proposals from HBCUs and Minority Serving Institutions, the Collective selected FDPRI — housed in UNCF's Atlanta office — as its new permanent home.

On Sept. 28, UNCF President and CEO Dr. Michael L. Lomax is hosting a funder briefing with MacArthur and other major philanthropic organizations in UNCF’s Atlanta office.
  
Under the leadership of Dr. Walter M. Kimbrough, executive vice president, research and member engagement, UNCF, and former president of Dillard University, the Collective will expand into a multi-initiative program offering wraparound support for scholars' work from conception through publication including additional collaborative workshops and writing retreats, a peer-mentoring program and a month-long summer research incubator.

The Collective is now seeking corporate and foundation partners to support the continued growth of HBCU faculty research and professional development in the humanities and social sciences.

“For too long, the workshops, mentorship and quiet stretches of time that turn a good idea into a funded research agenda haven't reached the HBCU faculty who need them most,” said Kimbrough. “That's the whole premise of the Fellowship Collective: give our scholars the community and resources to do the work only they can do. Housing that work permanently at FDPRI gives us a mission-aligned home to grow it for the next generation of HBCU researchers.”

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About the Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute
The Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute is UNCF's research arm and the nation's foremost research organization focusing on the educational status of African Americans and other minority populations, from preschool through adulthood. Using varied research methods, FDPRI works to have a positive impact on public policy and to improve education outcomes for African Americans and other minority populations. Learn more at uncf.org/fdpri.

About UNCF
UNCF is one of the nation’s largest and most effective supporters of higher education and serves as a leading advocate for college-bound students. Since its founding in 1944, UNCF has raised more than $6 billion to support students' access to higher education, provide scholarships and strengthen historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Each year, UNCF awards more than 13,000 scholarships to more than 10,000 students totaling more than $64 million. The scholarships support students attending more than 600 US-based colleges and universities including 36 UNCF-member HBCUs. Through its efforts, UNCF has helped generations of students to get to and through college. We believe a college education plays a vital role in strengthening the pipeline of leaders and professionals who advance our society. Our logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and our widely recognized trademark is, ‟A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”^® Learn more at UNCF.org or for continuous updates and news, follow UNCF on Instagram.

Roy Betts
United Negro College Fund, Inc. (UNCF)
240.703.3384
roy.betts@uncf.org

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