DOVER, Del- Delaware State University announced that it received a $2 million grant from the Thurgood Marshall College Fund to support eHBCU, an online consortium designed to expand the reach of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The funding is expected to have a significant impact by increasing access for tens of thousands of students.

According to the university, the grant is part of $16 million in awards from the Lily Endowment to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, the nation’s largest organization representing the Black college community. The funds will be used to strengthen capacity building and innovation across member schools.

Founded and headquartered at Delaware State University, organizers say eHBCU aims to deliver the career-focused and academically rigorous education of HBCUs to students anywhere. The consortium includes Alabama State University in Birmingham, the Southern University System in Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Shreveport, Louisiana, and Pensole Lewis College in Detroit, the only HBCU design school in the country.

The new funding comes after Delaware State was ranked this summer by Forbes as having the second-best online program among HBCUs. The ranking highlighted the university’s digital programming, including eHBCU, as well as its undergraduate and graduate offerings.

“At TMCF, we leverage the power of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, which excel at building citizen scholars at the highest levels everywhere they go,” said the Thurgood Marshall College Fund President, Dr. Harry Williams. “Our work with the Lily Endowment, in our latest round of catalytic gifts for innovation and excellence, is another moment in the movement. eHBCU at Delaware State University and its partner schools, Pensole Lewis, Alabama State, and the Southern University System, is a tremendous example.”

Delaware State President Tony Allen emphasized the initiative’s potential impact. “With eHBCU, we have a unique opportunity to reach tens of thousands of students in a new way that combines an excellent education with a focus on community service, career-focused curriculum, and the unmatched student experience of Historically Black Colleges and Universities,” Allen said.

Allen added that while eHBCU is open to everyone, the program is particularly important for African American online learners. “We also know that there are 500,000 African American online learners in the country and only 20,000 of them are pursuing their credentials, certifications, and degrees at an online HBCU. This investment, along with Blue Meridian Partners, will help us go after several target audiences who want the HBCU experience wherever they are in the world.”