The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) and The Links, Incorporated (The Links) recently signed a landmark agreement poised to help students at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) pursue their dreams.
“This is a memorandum of understanding designed specifically to demonstrate that our two powerful organizations are lockstep, hand in hand, working together to make our community better,” Dr. Harry L. Williams, president & CEO of TMCF, said.
The partnership will result in a national scholarship for deserving HBCU students, as part of an initiative called HBCU CONNECT.
“A scholarship is more than a check. It says to a student, we see you, we believe in you and we are willing to invest in your future. That is the power of this partnership,” Dr. Shuana Tucker-Sims, national president of The Links, said.
A core aspect of HBCU CONNECT is to create a scholarship campaign designed to mobilize the collective power of The Links in partnership with TMCF, over a three-year period (2026–2029), alongside corporate partners, HBCU alumni and philanthropic funders, to become one of the nation’s largest philanthropic scholarship initiatives supporting HBCU students.
“As board chair of TMCF and chair of The Links, Incorporated’s National HBCU Initiative, I see an extraordinary opportunity in bringing these two powerful networks together,” Racquel Oden said. “Our collective reach extends from HBCU campuses across America to communities around the world, and together we can turn that reach into greater opportunity, greater access and greater impact. This partnership is about more than what we can accomplish as organizations; it’s about what we can make possible for the next generation when we leverage our collective strength, voice and purpose.”
The formal announcement of the partnership came during the closing ceremony of Leadership Institute, with students in attendance to witness the landmark alliance.
“Being part of a legacy supported by both organizations is an honor and a responsibility,” Maki Maxey, a junior studying computer science at Central State University and Leadership Institute participant, said. “Their commitment to education, leadership, service and creating opportunities for Black communities reminds me that many of the opportunities available to me today were influenced by those who came before me.”
Felicia Emina, a junior studying accounting and finance at York College, can attest to the benefits of both organizations.
“I feel truly blessed to be a student who has benefited from both TMCF and The Links, Emina said. “From attending Leadership Institute to receiving a scholarship from The Links for my fall semester, both organizations have shown me with the right support and opportunities, I do not have to put my education or dreams aside. Being part of a legacy supported by both organizations means being connected to a community that believes in creating opportunities, uplifting others and helping students overcome barriers.”
