Tennessee State University Graduate Dorsey West Launches HBCU$ To Help Tackle Disparities In Public Funding
On May 1, 2025, Tennessee State University graduate Dorsey West will launch HBCU$™ to help tackle decades of disparities in public funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), according to a press release. HBCU$™ is an alumni giving and wealth-building network that will support the entrepreneurs they produce.
Disparities in public funding
West was inspired to create HBCU$™ after finding a 2023 analysis by the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Agriculture that found between 1987 and 2020, HBCU land-grant institutions received approximately $12.6 billion less in state funding than other land-grant institutions, and his alma mater had been underfunded by $2.1 billion during this period.
Giving money back to HBCUs
HBCU$™ will promote HBCU alumni & student-owned businesses through their free online marketing platform, and business owners can donate a part of any further revenue made back to the college of their choice.
West says, “Consistently patronizing companies that contribute money back to Historically Black Colleges & Universities creates a self-sustaining cycle that can help close the funding gap for these institutions and provide long-term economic growth for businesses within the HBCU$™ network.” “So, it’s a win-win for the HBCUs and their entrepreneurs,” he adds
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