Thurgood Marshall College Fund

Established in 1987, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) is the nation’s largest organization exclusively representing the Black College Community. TMCF member-schools include publicly supported Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Predominately Black Institutions. Through scholarships, capacity building and research initiatives, innovative programs, and strategic partnerships, TMCF is a vital resource for identifying top talent for competitive internships and good jobs. The Dr. N. Joyce Payne Center (Payne Center) for Social Justice is a policy center within TMCF devoted to research and programming to address the social justice problems facing society, with a focus on Black Americans. The mission of the Payne Center is to inform public policy to improve the lives of Black Americans and all underrepresented groups. The Payne Center’s philosophy asserts that those directly impacted by systemic discrimination and injustice are best suited to propose solutions to eliminate those barriers. This award enables the Payne Center to design and pilot a summer fellowship to equip underrepresented college students with the resources and skills necessary to pursue careers in criminal justice related fields.