HBCU Green Fund is an environmentalist nonprofit organization that claims that it is seeking to raise $1 million to fund environmentalist projects at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to lower carbon emissions and energy usage. ¹ According to its tax returns, from 2018 to 2020, HBCU Green Fund has received $355,173 in contributions and ended 2020 with $41,409 in assets. ²

HBCU Green Fund is the cosponsor of an annual conference titled “BIPOC Climate Justice Dialogue,” that hosts political and government leaders. The conference serves to advocate for environmentalist policy that would fund projects in ethnic minority communities. ³

Background

HBCU Green Fund is an environmentalist nonprofit advocacy organization that was founded in 2018. Since its inception, it has been campaigning to raise $1 million to finance renovations at historically Black colleges and universities that it claims will lower energy and water usage, which it argues will reduce costs and allow the colleges to reinvest the saved money. ⁴

HBCU Green Fund also performs the research to identify renovations that will achieve its environmental goals while also lowering operating costs for HBCUs. Its website states that it is seeking renovations that will lower carbon emissions and incur utility savings of at least 20 percent. ⁵

BIPOC Climate Justice Dialogue

HBCU Green Fund cofounded an annual conference called the “BIPOC Climate Justice Dialogue” alongside BIPOC Climate Scholars, US ACE Coalition, and Land Peace Foundation. The conference hosts and invites political leaders and government agencies to advocate for environmentalist policies that it believes would solve race issues allegedly faced by ethnic minorities. ⁶

In April 2022, the BIPOC Climate Justice Dialogue published its report summarizing its 2022 conference that analyzed the Biden administration’s Executive Order 14008, the Justice40 Initiative, which instructs federal agencies to provide at least 40 percent of funding for certain environmentalist projects to go towards “disadvantaged communities.” The report argues that the executive order has been insufficient and should include all “investments” of environmentalist projects to go towards projects managed by ethnic minorities or in ethnic minority communities. It also proposes that federal agencies adopt an “Environmental Justice Scorecard and the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool” that measure how much of the federal funding directly benefits ethnic minorities. ⁷

Fellowship Program

HBCU Green Fund has a partnership with the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs (RICE), using a Department of Energy grant to fund a fellowship program for students at the Atlanta University Center. The grant was created by the Biden administration to fund research for and businesses that will create a network of electric vehicle charging stations across the interstate system. The fellowship program is offered to college students in science, technology, engineering, and math programs to train them to work for companies involved in establishing the network. ⁸

People

Felicia Davis is an environmentalist activist, cofounder and CEO of HBCU Green Fund. She also works as the director of the Building Green Initiative for Clark Atlanta University. ⁹ In September 2018, Davis published an op-ed in the Washington Informer, criticizing the Trump administration for reducing regulations on carbon dioxide emissions from coal plants because she claims they are a large contributor to global warming and have adverse health effects that disproportionately affect ethnic minorities. ¹⁰

Financials

According to its tax returns, HBCU Green Fund reported receiving $232,309 in contributions and total revenue in 2020. It also reported spending $126,707 on salaries and compensation, $11,640 in grants, and total expenses of $191,192. Additionally, HBCU Green Fund ended 2020 with $41,409 in assets. ¹¹

1. “About Us.” HCBU Green Fund. Accessed October 17, 2022. http://hbcugreenfund.org/about-us1/our-office/.
2. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). HBCU Green Fund. 2018-2020. Part I, lines 12-20
3. “BIPOC Dialogue.” HCBU Green Fund. Accessed October 17, 2022. http://hbcugreenfund.org/bipoc-dialogue/.
4. “About Us.” HCBU Green Fund. Accessed October 17, 2022. http://hbcugreenfund.org/about-us1/our-office/.
5. “About Us.” HCBU Green Fund. Accessed October 17, 2022. http://hbcugreenfund.org/about-us1/our-office/.
6. “BIPOC Scholar.” bipoc. Accessed October 17, 2022. https://bipocscholars.org/.
7. “MPROVING CLIMATE SPENDING & COLLABORATION EFFICIENCY FOR JUSTICE40.” BIPOC Climate Justice Dialogue, April 2022. https://bipocscholars.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/item_0_20220404085200480.pdf
8. “Fellows.” HCBU Green Fund. Accessed October 17, 2022. http://hbcugreenfund.org/hbcu_rising-2/.
9. “Sustainability Leader, Felicia Davis, Named ‘Atlanta Power Woman‘and Surprised with Billboard Honoring Her Clean-Energy Work.” HCBU Green Fund. Accessed October 17, 2022. http://hbcugreenfund.org/mevents/sustainability-leader-felicia-davis-named-atlanta-power-womanand-surprised-with-billboard-honoring-her-clean-energy-work/.
10. Davis, Felecia. “Davis: EPA Rollbacks Will Hurt People of Color.” The Washington Informer, September 5, 2018. https://www.washingtoninformer.com/davis-epa-rollbacks-will-hurt-people-of-color/.
11. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). HBCU Green Fund. 2020. Part I, lines 8-20.