At UNCF‘s UNITE conference in Atlanta this month, the organization presented Kresge Foundation Education Program Managing Director Bill Moses with its Impact Partner Award recognizing extraordinary leadership and enduring commitment to advancing Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) through philanthropy, innovation and a partnership that has helped strengthen HBCUs for more than 20 years.

Moses has led strategic investments that have expanded access to higher education, supported institutional transformation and cultivated solutions to improve student success. A steadfast advocate for HBCUs, Moses has worked alongside institutional leaders, philanthropic organizations, policymakers and community partners to elevate the national profile of HBCUs.

The award, accepted July 20, coincided with the 20th anniversary of UNCF’s Institute for Capacity Building, or ICB, which works to strengthen the operational and financial health of member institutions. Kresge was one of the Institute’s first major philanthropic partners, backing a then-emerging idea: that lasting change in higher education requires investing not only in students, but in the institutions that educate them.

“We built this partnership on a simple conviction — that talent is universal, but opportunity is not,” Moses said. “Closing that gap means investing in the institutions themselves: their leadership, their innovation, their financial strength. That is where opportunity is either created or lost.”

That thesis has shaped how Kresge’s education team deploys capital in the sector. Rather than treating scholarships as the sole lever, their HBCU work has emphasized the fundraising infrastructure, data systems, and management strength that determine whether a college can serve students well and remain financially durable over time. For funders, the distinction matters: capacity investments compound, extending the reach of every subsequent dollar an institution raises.

The case for that approach rests on more than mission. HBCUs enroll a disproportionate share of the nation’s Black college graduates and function as engines of economic mobility, workforce development and regional growth. Strengthening the institutions, in Kresge’s view, is among the highest-leverage bets in higher education philanthropy.

When he accepted the award, Moses underscored that argument to peers in the field. “If you believe in Black excellence, in opportunity, and in repairing historic wrongs, you need to support and listen to HBCUs,” he said. “They are the path forward on educational outcomes and equity, and they have earned that trust.”

A partnership tied to a transformational era

Kresge’s relationship with UNCF dates to 1945, but became much closer with the arrival of Dr. Michael L. Lomax, who UNCF announced at UNITE will conclude his presidency in June 2027 after more than two decades leading the organization.

The scale of what UNCF built under Lomax is substantial. Since he became president and CEO in 2004 (after serving as President of Dillard University, which was also a Kresge grantee), UNCF has raised more than $4 billion from private and philanthropic sources, helped more than 300,000 students earn degrees, and grown its endowment nearly tenfold from $60 million to $500 million, with a target of $600 million before his departure. UNCF today provides financial support to 36 member HBCUs and scholarships to students at more than 600 institutions nationwide.

For Kresge, the announcement marks a moment to reflect on a partnership that has grown alongside that trajectory and on the leadership that made it possible.

“Michael Lomax will go down as one of the great higher education leaders of the 21st century,” Moses said. “The Institute for Capacity Building, and so much of what UNCF has become, reflects his vision and his ability to build a team equal to it. Everything we’ve accomplished together, we owe to that.”

Kresge’s commitment to HBCUs extends beyond any single grant or campaign, rooted in a century-long focus on expanding opportunities for people and communities facing persistent barriers. As UNCF prepares for its next chapter, the foundation seeks to position HBCUs, and the students and communities they serve, for the long term. “We’re proud of what we’ve built together,” Moses said, “and even more focused on what comes next.”