The following is a statement by funders and philanthropic organizations in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s rulings in Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina and Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College. A full list of signatories follows.
The Supreme Court’s decision impedes colleges and universities from selecting their own student bodies and fully addressing systemic racial inequalities that persist. The ruling threatens to return this nation to a time when education and opportunity are reserved for a privileged class. It endangers 60 years of multiracial movements to challenge our nation to live up to the ideals enshrined in our founding documents. The decision erects new barriers to building a society in which everyone has the opportunity to improve their lives, communities, health, and education.
Today’s ruling will make the vital work of building inclusive college campuses much harder. Experience has shown that substituting socioeconomic status as a proxy for race will not achieve the diversity that strengthens the fabric of all universities. Educators and communities dedicated to teaching and mentoring young people and adults from every imaginable background understand how all students — not just students of color — benefit from diverse racial and socioeconomic learning environments. Decades of research show that students educated with people from different backgrounds and experiences improve their analytical thinking, creativity, communication, and collaboration. These skills are essential to building our future workforce, our military, and a healthy democracy. In the realm of health, research shows that racially and ethnically representative medical schools produce better-trained physicians and care teams that reflect the communities they serve.
Universities and colleges and those organizations supporting them deserve the resources and support to continue their critical mission. They need our resolve, too. Philanthropies are vital partners in our nation’s progress. We will remain steadfast in our collective mission to create a more equitable nation within the bounds of the law. To forge ahead, we must continue to advocate for the human dignity of all people — regardless of their race, gender, ethnicity, religion, or country of origin — with renewed vigor and commitment.
Our nation’s future prosperity, vitality, and unity depend upon America becoming a true multiracial democracy — an aspiration that requires racial equity and diversity in higher education. Despite today’s ruling, our foundations will not waver in our commitment to those making the nation’s high ideals a reality for all communities and all people.
Signatories of this statement:
(as of July 13, 2023)
ABFE
ACCESS Health International
AJL Foundation
Akonadi Foundation
Alliance Healthcare Foundation
Archstone Foundation
Asset Funders Network
Barr Foundation
Blue Shield of California Foundation
Borealis Philanthropy
Brooklyn Community Foundation
Builders Vision
California Health Care Foundation
Center for Effective Philanthropy
Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies
Charles F. Kettering Foundation
Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
Ciencia Puerto Rico
CoGenerate
College Success Foundation
Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut
Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa
Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts
Council of Michigan Foundations
Council on Foundations
David and Lucile Packard Foundation
David Rockefeller Fund
Democracy Fund
Digital Promise
Digital Promise
Disability & Philanthropy Forum
Diversity Works
East Bay Community Foundation
ECMC Foundation
Edward Hazen Foundation
Elmina B. Sewall Foundation
Environmental Grantmakers Association
Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund
Fairfield County’s Community Foundation
Fenton Communications
Ford Foundation
Foundation for a Just Society
Foundation for Health Equity
Funders Concerned About AIDS
Funders Together to End Homelessness
Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation
Grantmakers for Education
Grantmakers for Effective Organizations
Grantmakers for Girls of Color
Grantmakers for Thriving Youth
Grantmakers for Thriving Youth
Grantmakers In Health
Grantmakers in the Arts
Great MN Schools
Greater Milwaukee Foundation
Hawaii Community Foundation
Hawaii Community Foundation
Health Forward Foundation
Healthy Communities Foundation
Heising-Simons Foundation
Hirsch Philanthropy Partners
Hispanics in Philanthropy
Hogg Foundation for Mental Health
Horizon Foundation
Humanity United
IGNITE
Imaginable Futures
Independence Public Media Foundation
Independence Public Media Foundation
Independent Sector
Jerome Foundation
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
John Rex Endowment
Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation
Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust
Kenneth Rainin Foundation
Lambent Foundation
Levi Strauss Foundation
Lewis Latimer House Museum
López-Wagner Strategies
Lumina Foundation
Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation
Mat-Su Health Foundation
McKnight Foundation
Mellon Foundation
Memphis Music Initiative
Mertz Gilmore Foundation
MetroWest Health Foundation
Meyer Memorial Trust
Ms. Foundation for Women
National Performance Network
New Breath Foundation
New York Foundation
Next Generation Learning Challenges
NH Endowment for Health
North Star Fund
Northwest Area Foundation
Omidyar Network
Point32Health Foundation
Raikes Foundation
REDF
Robert Sterling Clark Foundation
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors
Rodel
Rosenberg Foundation
RRJ Foundation for Aging
Ruth Mott Foundation
Rx Foundation
San Diego Foundation
San Diego Foundation
San Francisco Foundation
Scherman Foundation
SchoolHouse Connection
Schott Foundation for Public Education
Schultz Family Foundation
SCP
Sierra Health Foundation
Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Smith & Connors
SoCal Grantmakers
Spencer Foundation
Spitfire Strategies
Stuart Foundation
Stupski Foundation
Surdna Foundation
TBG Fund Development & Media Consultants
The Boston Foundation
The California Endowment
The California Wellness Foundation
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
The Commonwealth Fund
The Communications Network
The Denver Foundation
The FrameWorks Institute
The Funders Network
The George Gund Foundation
The James Irvine Foundation
The Joyce Foundation
The Klarman Family Foundation
The Kresge Foundation
The Libra Foundation
The Miami Foundation
The National Association of Chronic Disease Directors
The Nellie Mae Education Foundation
The NUNA Foundation
The Open Society Foundations
The Praxis Project
The Rippel Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation
The Schmidt Family Foundation
The Skillman Foundation
The Spencer Foundation
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
Threespot
Tides
Triangle Community Foundation
United Way of Rhode Island
UU Class Conversations
van Ameringen Foundation
Wail of a Tale Productions
Wellspring Philanthropic Fund
WES Mariam Assefa Fund
William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund
Williams Group
The Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is an independent organization working to address inequality and build a future grounded in justice. For more than 85 years, it has supported visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide, guided by its mission to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement. Today, with an endowment of $16 billion, the foundation has headquarters in New York and 10 regional offices across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.
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