Foundation donates $120K to the Black and Latino Alumni Network Scholarship Fund
Cited as a national leader in propelling more students from low-income households to among the highest earners in the country, Stony Brook University knows what works: An inclusive, equitable campus culture, focused academic mentoring, and generous philanthropic support that creates a margin of excellence for all.
Now, thanks to a new infusion of that support to the Black and Latino Alumni Network Scholarship Fund — a $120,000 grant from the Stony Brook Foundation — the University can offer more underserved students access to a high quality, four-year degree from Stony Brook.
“This dramatic increase in the scholarship fund is an amazing example of talk turned into action,” said Errol Cockfield ’94, Stony Brook Alumni Association Board and Black and Latino Alumni Network member and MSNBC Senior Vice President of Communication. “It will transform the lives of so many Black and Latino students who face disadvantages that often defer their dreams. It’s a testament to the Stony Brook Foundation’s leadership under Rich Gelfond and its commitment to diversity that they are taking such a meaningful step. “
This recent grant to the Black and Latino Alumni Network Scholarship Fund comes on the heels of the Stony Brook Foundation’s donation of $100,000 in matching funds for a crowdfunding project that to date has raised $941,267 and has helped more than 1,229 students in financial crisis from the pandemic stay in school and on track to graduate.
“The Stony Brook Foundation is dedicated and devoted to the University now more than ever,” said Stony Brook Foundation Chair Richard Gelfond ’76. “The match for the student emergency aid crowdfunding project and now boosting scholarship giving for underserved students to support a diverse student body are things we can do immediately to demonstrate our unwavering commitment to this wonderful institution.”
Ninety-two members of the Black and Latino Alumni Network established the scholarship in 2014 to both give back to Stony Brook and give more students the college experience that helped shape their lives. Beneficiaries are full-time students with financial need and who have also demonstrated a strong commitment to civic engagement and social responsibility.
“Diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the heart of Stony Brook University,” said the University’s President Maurie McInnis. “Investing in more student financial support and scholarships allows us to build on our longstanding tradition of enabling social mobility by providing even more talented students with life-changing academic opportunities. The Stony Brook Foundation has been an incredible ally, and I’d like to express my gratitude to the Black and Latino Alumni Network for expanding access to our world-class education for future generations.”
To help more talented students from underserved communities attend and graduate from Stony Brook University, please give today.
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