By Brooks Welch

After his historic act of generosity to the 2019 Class of Morehouse Men, Black Billionaire Robert F. Smith’s work to eradicate student debt in HBCUs has only begun. 

Smith is the founder and CEO of Student Freedom Initiative, an organization dedicated to closing the racial wealth gap. According to the organization’s 2021 press release, Prudential Financial has provided “catalytic” support in their $1.8 million in microgrants to HBCU students in effort to accelerate economic mobility and close the financial divide. 

These microgrants support the launch of the Handling Everyday Life Problems For Students (HELPS) Program, a crucial service to address unexpected, one-time expenses disproportionately faced by Black students. 

To learn more, visit https://studentfreedominitiative.org.