Black Excellence Education Foundation (B.E.E.F.) is a nonprofit philanthropic organization serving African American college and vocational students.
Across all educational institution types, African American students are the most likely to have unmet financial needs. With the rising cost of tuition, higher education and vocational training can seem nearly impossible for students who face financial hardship. When financial aid falls short, or students are unable to secure loans, Black Excellence Education Foundation can ensure that these students have the resources to cultivate a successful future.
For centuries, African American communities across the country have been plagued with numerous barriers and countless disadvantages regarding education and employment. Many of these communities are also faced with a higher number of single-parent households, lower incomes, and elevated crime rates resulting from gang and drug activity.
In these neighborhoods, crime has become a violent way of survival, and anyone can become a casualty. For the students of these communities, attending college or vocational school after graduating high school is not only a way out, but often, the difference between life and death.
Education is an investment. Through developing an individual’s skills, they ultimately take their first steps on the path to success. By uplifting our youth through higher education and vocational training, we can begin to address some of the most widespread concerns that impact the Black community such as the lack of employment opportunities, rising debt, and the mounting incarceration rate.
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Many African Americans live within a job market with considerably low economic security. Black inner-city workers often have poor access to quality jobs. It is estimated that nearly 30 percent of African American workers earn poverty-level wages. Skilled individuals are always in high demand and statistically have increased access to higher-paying jobs.
DEBT
Thirty-three percent of Black families are in debt or have negative net assets. African Americans are also more likely to have significant credit card debt and turn to credit because other financial resources are exhausted. Reliance on credit is made necessary because of a lack of consistent employment opportunities within their local communities.
INCARCERATION
Imprisonment can have significant adverse effects on African American’s employment options and mobility. Incarceration can reduce yearly wages by as much as 40 percent and can impede subsequent work success. Nearly 75 percent of those incarcerated do not hold a college degree—more than half only hold a high school diploma or G.E.D., while the remaining quarter holds no credential at all.
B.E.E.F. is a donation-based, not for profit, organization focused on uplifting the African American community by providing our youth with scholarships for college and vocational school training. We do not have any political affiliations, and we are not aligned with any specific agenda. We hope to increase the enrollment and graduation rates of African American students, from colleges and vocational schools. We want this generation’s students to become hardworking, prosperous professionals who can serve as role models for their community.
Our organization’s ultimate goal is to create a cycle of “paying it forward” that continuously enriches the lives of our students. As B.E.E.F. donors make financial contributions to our students today, our scholars pay it forward to their communities and those in need of funding tomorrow. This is how the organization gains its momentum to give and remains financially secure for generation after generation of B.E.E.F. scholars.
Let’s Grow Together
LEARN MORE ABOUT B.E.E.F.
Our communities grow stronger when everyone has access to education. That’s why the Black Excellence Education Foundation is dedicated to enriching the lives of African American students through access to college and trade schools. Let’s empower students together!