Founded in 1987, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) is a nonprofit organization that helps represent Black students within the college community. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., TMCF describes itself as the nation's largest organization exclusively representing that community. Its 57 member schools include publicly supported historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), historically Black community colleges, and predominantly Black institutions (PBIs), as well as several medical and law schools. Together, TMCF member schools enroll 80% of all students attending HBCUs.

TMCF organizes its work around five strategic pillars: (1) scholarships and student investment, (2) programmatic innovation, (3) talent discovery and development, (4) research and advocacy, and (5) institutional capacity building.

The organization awards merit-based and need-based scholarships to students at member schools. TMCF has provided more than $500 million in assistance to students and member schools to date.

TMCF also advocates on federal policy affecting HBCUs and serves as a talent source for employers seeking candidates for internships and full-time roles.

Member Schools

The Thurgood Marshal College Fund has 57 member schools:

• 43 historically Black four-year universities
• 9 historically Black community colleges
• 4 predominantly Black institutions
• 1 medical school
• 1 technical college

TMCF member schools are predominantly located in the states along the East Coast of the U.S. and within the South.

Workforce Development

The Thurgood Marshal College Fund's career preparation work includes talent success coaching, student development conferences, internships, corporate immersions, and entrepreneurship programs delivered with employer partners. Its programs include:

• Internship Programs
  • Paid 10- to 12-week internships with corporate and government partners.
  • Typically held June through August, with career readiness workshops and webinars.
• Google Career Launchpad Program
  • Delivered in partnership with Google Cloud.
  • A free, nine-week training program that prepares students for entry-level cloud computing roles and the Google Cloud Generative AI Leader (GAIL) certification.
  • Run using official Google Cloud learning content, nine weekly one-hour virtual instructor-led sessions, hands-on labs, and weekly mentorship meetings with TMCF coaches.
• Corporate Immersions
  • Multi-day events at partner company headquarters featuring executive-led workshops, hands-on projects, and networking.
• Innovation Challenges
  • Business case competitions in which student teams address problems posed by partner organizations, competing for scholarships and employment opportunities.
• DevCon
  • Three-day early talent program for first- and second-year students focused on career exploration and professional skills.
• Leadership Institute
  • A four-day leadership development conference with executives from Fortune 500 companies and government agencies.
  • Culminates in a recruitment fair for internships, full-time jobs, and continuing education.
• Workforce Development Summit
  • An event connecting industry partners with historically Black community college students earning industry-recognized certifications and associate degrees.

TMCF also supports students' career navigation through campus coordinators who provide in-person guidance, talent managers who connect students with employers, and talent success coaches who offer one-on-one mentorship to scholars and alumni.

Partners

45 corporate partners, including Boeing, Capital One, Deloitte, Google, the National Basketball Association (NBA), United Airlines, and Walmart

Resources

Thurgood Marshall College Fund. (n.d.). Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Inc. https://tmcf.org/

Thurgood Marshall College Fund. (n.d.). Our partners. https://tmcf.org/our-partners/

Thurgood Marshall College Fund. (n.d.). Career resources. https://tmcf.org/career-resources/

Thurgood Marshall College Fund. (n.d.). Member schools. https://tmcf.org/about-us/member-schools/

Thurgood Marshall College Fund. (n.d.). Programs. https://tmcf.org/programs/