Alfred Street Baptist Church (ASBC) has become the largest faith-based financial supporter of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the nation, as a result of a combination of direct donations, contributions, scholarships and/or waived fees awarded to students from their annual HBCU College Festival exceeding $42 million dollars over the past 20 years.

On Saturday, ASBC continued its generosity to support Blacks pursuing higher education by presenting a $1 million check to Jackson State University during the homecoming game. This donation is a grant from Alfred Street Baptist Church’s Tithe the Tithe Initiative which will reimburse Jackson State University up to $1,000,000 for expenses related to the water crisis in Jackson.

In addition to the $1 million donation to Jackson State, ASBC has donated and/or been responsible for the following:

• $40 million plus awarded in scholarships and waived fees to more than 60,000 students since 2003 via ASBC’s Annual HBCU College Festival
• $250,000 to Paul Quinn College
• $250,000 to Virginia State University
• $250,000 to the United Negro College Fund
• $250,000 to the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education
• $100,000 to Howard University
• $50,000 to Bennet College
• $50,000 to Dillard University
• $25,000 to Hampton University
• $25,000 to a HBCU every year for the past 20 years

“HBCUs produce almost one-fifth of all Black college graduates and meet the needs of low-income and first-generation college students,” said Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley, senior pastor of Alfred Street Baptist Church and chairman of the United Negro College Fund’s National Faith and Education Initiative Advisory Council. “We are pleased to support these critical institutions that produce graduates who play an essential economic role as professionals, entrepreneurs, consumers, and investors.”