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The Campaign for Emergency Student Aid (CESA) is a unique United Negro College Fund (UNCF) scholarship program that provides "just-in-time" financial aid to historically black college and university (HBCU) students poised to graduate, but short of funding. In 2018, the Kresge Foundation provided UNCF with funding to better understand how students were selected for CESA awards, the impact of those awards and to gain an in-depth understanding of the array of emergency aid efforts and programs available on UNCF-member institution campuses and their effectiveness to improve student outcomes and increase graduation rates. Specific to emergency aid, this research includes the processes by which HBCUs administer aid, the methods for informing students about availability of aid, the types of aid available, the characteristics of students who receive the aid, funding sources, etc. This study is important as CESA funding revenue has been declining on an annual basis. UNCF seeks to learn more about what is working and what is not working relative to emergency aid programs for HBCU students as the emergency needs continue to grow. It is anticipated that this study will enable UNCF to strengthen its case for CESA support. Increased support will likely lead to increased revenue and, over the long term, improved student outcomes.

A college degree is increasingly vital for career mobility and economic success as more employers are requiring greater levels of education and credentials. For more than 150 years, historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have played a leading role in graduating black students and have made significant contributions to the workforce and economic vitality of the nation. A historically black college and university is defined as "… any historically black college or university that was established before 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of African Americans." There are 101 accredited public and private HBCUs located in 19 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. While these institutions only represent 3 percent of the nation's colleges and universities, they are economic engines in both their regional communities and the nation, generating substantial economic returns annually. gional economies and how much graduates benefit in terms of increased earnings over a working lifetime. The study noted that every dollar spent on, and by, an HBCU and its students has a positive chain reaction in terms of heightened economic activity, increased job creation, and greater earning potential for graduates. At the national level, the study's key findings revealed that: (1) HBCUs annually generate 134,090 jobs and $14.8 billion in total economic impact for their local and regional economies; and (2) HBCU graduates from 2014 can expect total earnings of $130 billion over their lifetimes--56 percent more than they could expect to earn without their college degrees.