The Lagrant Foundation focuses on increasing the number of ethnic minorities in communications fields. ¹ The Lagrant Foundation provides scholarships, internships, career development workshops, professional development, and mentors to African American, Native American, Asian Pacific American, and Hispanic students. ²

In 1998, Kim Hunter founded the Lagrant Foundation in Los Angeles after he had worked for a Fortune 500 firm and noticed a dearth of minorities. ³

Background

The Lagrant Foundation provides professional and academic development to ethnic-minority undergraduate and graduate students seeking careers in advertising, marketing, and public relations. ¹

Kim L. Hunter, a marketing and public relations professional, established the organization in 1998 to address what he viewed as the lack of minority representation in advertising, marketing and public relations. ⁴

The foundation has partnered with companies and executives from General Motors, Weber Shandwick, and other firms interested in expanding opportunities for young people of color in advertising, marketing, and public relations. ³

The organization offers career opportunities such as internships, fellowships, co-ops, entry level roles, career and professional development workshops, and mentorship opportunities for undergraduate, graduate, and Ph.D. students. ⁵

As of 2025, the organization’s website reported helping launch careers for students, securing more than 575 internships, fellowships and other entry-level jobs into advertising, public relations, and marketing industries. ⁶

Financials

As of April 2025, the Lagrant Foundation website says it has offered 891 scholarships totaling more than $3 million. The organization offered $250,000 in scholarships in each of its major anniversary years. ⁴

In 2023, American Online Giving Foundation contributed $31,152 to the Lagrant Foundation. ²

In 2023, the Schwab Charitable Fund donated $27,000 to the Lagrant Foundation. ²

In 2023, the Hill and Knowlton Foundation gave $25,000 to the Lagrant Foundation. ²

Controversy

In 2025, the American Alliance for Equal Rights sent a letter to the Internal Revenue Service asserting that the Lagrant Foundation, the Gates Foundation, and the Creative Capital Foundation “intentionally” discriminated against white people. AAER president Edward Blum argued that these groups engaged in race-based discrimination while enjoying tax-exempt status. ⁷

The AAER complaint argued that the Lagrant Foundation engages in race-based discrimination against whites. The Lagrant Foundation partners with corporations such as Walmart, Microsoft, and Charles Schwab to “increase the number of ethnic minorities in the fields of advertising, marketing and public relations.” ⁷

The AAER letter to Robert Malone of the IRS’s Exempt Organizations and Government Entities division argues that the Lagrant Foundation offers scholarships, mentorships, and career development opportunities exclusively to applicants who are African American/Black, Alaska Native/Native American, Asian American/Pacific Islander, or Hispanic/Latino. It says white students and professionals are excluded. The letter says this is a direct violation of the Supreme Court’s decision in Bob Jones University v. United States from 1983 that held that organizations practicing racial discrimination are not eligible for tax-exempt status. The letter also says this violates the IRS’s own guidance and a more recent Supreme Court precedent from Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard in 2023 that reaffirmed that “racial discrimination is invidious in all contexts.” ⁸

Programs

Lagrant Foundation scholarship recipients receive ongoing professional development from the foundation until obtaining a job in the advertising, marketing, or public relations industry. This includes coaching on resume writing, interviewing skills, internship and job search skills, grammar review, writing skills, business etiquette, interpersonal skills, tips on company politics, and professional appearance. ⁵

The qualifications for scholarship includes being a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and a “member of one of the following ethnic groups: African American, Asian Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino or Native American/Alaska Native. Applicant.” Other requirements include that a student should be a full-time student at a college or university with a minimum of 3.2 GPA. ⁹

The Lagrant Foundation coordinates an annual career and professional development workshop for scholarship recipients that gives recipients the chance to speak with industry professionals. The foundation also holds workshops in major college markets across the country to include students who are not scholarship recipients. ⁵ As of 2025, the organization’s website reported holding more than 575 career development and professional development workshops for more than 10,500 students across the United States. ⁶

The foundation operates an internship program for undergraduate and graduate students. The interns are selected for advertising, public relations, and marketing agencies as well as publishing companies and communications-related businesses. ⁵

Scholarship recipients can team with mentors who are professionals in advertising, marketing and public relations that provide opportunities for guidance, and career development. The mentors volunteer their time twice a month to meet in-person with students. ⁵

In April 2024, Procter & Gamble and Omnicom Public Relations Group teamed with the Lagrant Foundation to launch the foundation’s inaugural Alumni Advisory Council, with 15 members. ¹⁰

In October 2020, Hewlett-Packard announced a partnership with the Lagrant Foundation to launch a three-year program to support early-career professionals in journalism, communications, and digital content creation. The program aimed to provide mentorship working with HP’s global team in strategic communications. Participants in the program were set to work with HP LIFE, a global online program providing business and information technology leadership skills. The two organizations noted in a press release that the communications industry in the U.S. is 83.6 percent white, 9.9 percent Black, 5.8 percent Asian American, and 13.6 percent Hispanic American, citing the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The program was led by HP’s Chief Brand and Communications Officer Karen Kahn and the Lagrant Foundation CEO Kim L. Hunter. ¹¹

In November 2020, the Lagrant Foundation and the Institute for Public Relations launched the IPR-TLF Research Fellowship. The fellowship program was to promote diversity and boost ethnic minority representation in public relations by bringing a public relations, communications, or business school graduate student into a team for a paid work experience. The public announcement said the “IPR and TLF will select two ethnically-diverse candidates for the 2021 fellowship program.” The fellows were to be recognized at the IPR 2021 awards dinner and invited to attend the 2021 IPR Research Symposium in New York City. ¹²

Leadership

Kim L. Hunter is the founder, chairman and CEO of the Lagrant Foundation. He has done marketing and public relations work for Southern California Edison, American Airlines, Walmart, Starbucks, Verizon, Carnival Corporation, and General Motors. He has also worked with government agencies such as the Los Angeles World Airports, City of Los Angeles Public Works, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, the California Department of Public Health, Covered California, and Community Health Clinics. ⁴

Nicholas Neptune is the talent and alumni associate for the Lagrant Foundation. ¹³

Camille Frigillana is the programs and communications manager for the Lagrant Foundation. ¹³

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7. Lindquist, Spencer. “Bill Gates Foundation, Other Nonprofits Could Lose Tax-Exempt Status Over Anti-White Discrimination.” Daily Wire. April 2, 2025. Accessed April 13, 2025. https://www.dailywire.com/news/bill-gates-foundation-other-nonprofits-could-lose-tax-exempt-status-over-anti-white-discrimination
8. Press Release. “American Alliance for Equal Rights Files Request to IRS to Examine Racial Practices at Three Tax-Exempt Foundations: Gates Foundation, Lagrant Foundation and Creative Capital Foundation.” April 1, 2025. Accessed April 13, 2025. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/american-alliance-for-equal-rights-files-request-to-irs-to-examine-racial-practices-at-three-tax-exempt-foundations-gates-foundation-lagrant-foundation-and-creative-capital-foundation-302417428.html
9. “The Lagrant Foundation.” College Scholarships. Accessed April 13, 2025. https://www.collegescholarships.com/scholarships/detail/116737#google_vignette
10. Barrett, Steve. “The Lagrant Foundation Engages Alumni With Help From Proctor and Gamble, and Omnicon Public Relations Group.” PR Week. April 9, 2024. Accessed April 13, 2025. https://www.prweek.com/article/1868065/lagrant-foundation-engages-alumni-help-procter-gamble-omnicom-public-relations-group
11. Press Release. “HP Inc. and The LAGRANT Foundation Launch Technology + Social Innovation Program to Increase Diversity in Communications.” October 2, 2020. Accessed April 13, 2025. https://www.csrwire.com/press_releases/45885-hp-inc-and-the-lagrant-foundation-launch-technology-social-innovation-program-to-increase-diversity-in-communications
12. Press Release. “The LAGRANT Foundation & IPR Partner to Develop First of its Kind Research Fellowship Program.” November 12, 2020. Accessed April 13, 2025. https://instituteforpr.org/the-lagrant-foundation-ipr-partner-to-develop-first-of-its-kind-research-fellowship-program/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-lagrant-foundation-ipr-partner-to-develop-first-of-its-kind-research-fellowship-program
13. “Staff.” The Lagrant Foundation. Accessed April 13, 2025. https://www.lagrantfoundation.org/staff