Reinvestment Fund Launches the First-of-its-Kind ‘HBCU Brilliance Initiative’ to Support HBCUs Across the Country
Reinvestment Fund Has Issued More Than $50M In Funding To Support The Financial Health And Future Of HBCUs
(Atlanta | August 11, 2025) – Reinvestment Fund, a nationally-focused Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) headquartered in Philadelphia and Atlanta, is launching their groundbreaking platform, the HBCU Brilliance Initiative.
The Brilliance Initiative is set to support the financial health of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to fortify their future. The Brilliance Initiative will help HBCUs build their networks, policy advocacy, and research to enhance the relationship between HBCUs and the surrounding community. The Brilliance Initiative is structured to provide HBCUs with the needed resources and tools to become flourishing centers of academic success, innovation, and cultural pride.
The Brilliance Initiative will supply $40,000 in grants and up to $1,000,000 in loans to the selected institutions to enhance their fiscal position to support the university and the surrounding community. The $40,000 grants will support developmental projects including campus infrastructure improvements, predevelopment and planning, and sustainability and environmental initiatives. Meanwhile, the line of loans will provide HBCUs with low-interest financing support on longer-term community development projects.
Register for the 8/22 webinar to learn more.
“The HBCU Brilliance Initiative program is essential to building thriving, sustainable communities of higher education for Black students,” said Christina Alexis, Head of HBCU Brilliance Initiative, Program at Reinvestment Fund. “By empowering HBCUs through transformative lending and technical assistance, we not only ensure a better educational experience for Black students but also uplift the surrounding communities, fostering economic and social mobility for generations to come. Our mission is to secure the future of these historically significant institutions by increasing funding, strengthening systems, and creating pathways for long-term success.”
“HBCUs have long been incubators of Black brilliance, scholarship, leadership, and multiracial democracy. Investing in these institutions is not just an investment in higher education but it is an investment in an equitable, knowledgeable, and just future,” said Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, incoming Professor of History and founding director of the Institute for Advanced Study at Howard University.
“The Reinvestment Fund’s Brilliance Initiative is ensuring HBCUs flourish. And when HBCUs flourish, communities flourish, our nation flourishes.”
While the funding will be a crucial aspect, the Brilliance Initiative’s overall principles include equity, empowerment, and collaboration. The Brilliance Initiative will seek to establish permanent resources and capital for additional projects that serve the population of participating HBCUs which include over 70% of their students being Pell Grant recipients and first-generation college students. Additionally, collaboration with community stakeholders, policymakers, and researchers will only advance the development of the institutions to continue to modernize and update the resources available to them.
The Brilliance Initiative will also facilitate the learning and training for the participating HBCUs leadership. The goal is to provide turn-key and accessible opportunities for institutions to acquire knowledge of practical applications. In conjunction with these trainings, the Brilliance Initiative will give HBCUs access to research, policy education and advocacy support through the duration of their projects. Creating pathways to solidify relationships and future opportunities for these institutions and their communities to build stronger connections.
“The HBCU Brilliance Initiative is only the beginning of establishing healthy and thriving communities across the country,” said Donald Hinkle-Brown, President and CEO of Reinvestment Fund. “Our goal is not for this initiative to be the sole source of support, but rather the first step in a broader, ongoing effort to advance opportunities for Black students and their communities. We are committed to creating lasting, sustainable pathways for growth, ensuring that these communities continue to flourish beyond the Brilliance Initiative.”
Reinvestment Fund’s team announced the new program at UNCF’s UNITE Conference in Atlanta on July 22 with remarks from Dr. Ibram X. Kendi and Georgia State Senator Sonya Halpern.
The inaugural cohort application window will be open August 25 through September 29. Reinvestment Fund will be hosting an informational webinar for institutions interested in applying for the program on Friday, August 22 at 9:30AM ET. Interested institutions can register for the webinar here.
In this webinar, participants will be provided with a comprehensive walkthrough of the application process, including:
- Key eligibility criteria and selection priorities
- A step-by-step guide to the “Road to Success” cohort application
- What happens after applying, the timeline, review process, and next steps
- Guidance on how to prepare a strong submission
To learn more about Reinvestment Fund and the HBCU Brilliance Initiative, please visit: https://www.reinvestment.com/grants/hbcu-brilliance-initiative/.
Media Contact: media@reinvestment.com
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About Reinvestment Fund
Reinvestment Fund is a mission-driven financial institution committed to making communities work for all people. We bring financial and analytical tools to partnerships that work to ensure that people in communities across the country have the opportunities they strive for: affordable places to live, access to nutritious food and health care, schools where their children can flourish, and strong, local businesses that support jobs. We use data to understand markets and how transactions can have the most powerful impact, which has consistently earned us the top Aeris rating of AAA for financial strength and four stars for impact management. Our asset and risk management systems have also earned us an AA- rating from S&P. Since our inception in 1985, Reinvestment Fund has provided over $3.2 billion in financing to strengthen neighborhoods, scale social enterprises, and build resilient communities. Learn more at reinvestment.com.