Philanthropic Joint Statement in Response to the Supreme Court's Decision in 'Students for Fair Admissions' Cases

The following is a statement by funders and philanthropic organizations in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s rulings in Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina and Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College. A full list of signatories follows.

The Supreme Court’s decision impedes colleges and universities from selecting their own student bodies and fully addressing systemic racial inequalities that persist. The ruling threatens to return this nation to a time when education and opportunity were reserved for a privileged class. It endangers sixty years of multiracial movements to challenge our nation to live up to the ideals enshrined in our founding documents. The decision erects new barriers to building a society in which everyone has the opportunity to improve their lives, communities, health, and education.

Today's ruling will make the vital work of building inclusive college campuses much harder. Experience has shown that substituting socioeconomic status as a proxy for race will not achieve the diversity that strengthens the fabric of all universities. Educators and communities dedicated to teaching and mentoring young people and adults from every imaginable background understand how all students—not just students of color—benefit from diverse racial and socioeconomic learning environments. Decades of research show that students educated with people from different backgrounds and experiences improve their analytical thinking, creativity, communication, and collaboration. These skills are essential to building our future workforce, our military, and a healthy democracy. In the realm of health, research shows that racially and ethnically representative medical schools produce better-trained physicians and care teams that reflect the communities they serve.

Universities and colleges and those organizations supporting them deserve the resources and support to continue their critical mission. They need our resolve, too. Philanthropies are vital partners in our nation’s progress. We will remain steadfast in our collective mission to create a more equitable nation within the bounds of the law. To forge ahead, we must continue to advocate for the human dignity of all people—regardless of their race, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or country of origin—with renewed vigor and commitment.

Our nation's future prosperity, vitality, and unity depend upon America becoming a true multiracial democracy—an aspiration that requires racial equity and diversity in higher education. Despite today’s ruling, our foundations will not waver in our commitment to those making the nation’s high ideals a reality for all communities and all people.   

Signatories of this statement:

ABFE

AJL Foundation

Alliance Healthcare Foundation

Akonadi Foundation

Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation

Archstone Foundation

Asset Funders Network

Barr Foundation

Blue Shield of California Foundation

Borealis Philanthropy

Brooklyn Community Foundation

California Health Care Foundation

Center for Effective Philanthropy

Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies

Charles F. Kettering Foundation 

Charles Stewart Mott Foundation

College Success Foundation

Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta

Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut

Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa

Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts

Council on Foundations

Council of Michigan Foundations 

David and Lucile Packard Foundation

David Rockefeller Fund

Democracy Fund

East Bay Community Foundation

ECMC Foundation

Edward Hazen Foundation

Elmina B. Sewall Foundation

Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund

Fairfield County’s Community Foundation

Ford Foundation

Foundation for Health Equity

Foundation for a Just Society

Funders Concerned About AIDS

Funders Together to End Homelessness

Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation

Grantmakers for Education

Grantmakers for Effective Organizations

Grantmakers for Girls of Color

Grantmakers for Thriving Youth

Grantmakers In Health

Grantmakers in the Arts

Greater Milwaukee Foundation

Hawaii Community Foundation

Health Forward Foundation

Healthy Communities Foundation

Heising-Simons Foundation

Hirsch Philanthropy Partners

Hispanics in Philanthropy

Hogg Foundation for Mental Health

Horizon Foundation

Humanity United

Imaginable Futures

Independence Public Media Foundation

Independent Sector

Jerome Foundation

John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

John Rex Endowment

Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation

Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust

Kenneth Rainin Foundation 

Lambent Foundation

Leeway Foundation

Levi Strauss Foundation

Lumina Foundation

Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation

Mat-Su Health Foundation

McKnight Foundation

Mellon Foundation

Memphis Music Initiative

Mertz Gilmore Foundation

MetroWest Health Foundation

Meyer Memorial Trust

Ms. Foundation for Women

National Indian Education Association

National Performance Network

New Breath Foundation

New Profit

New York Foundation

Next Generation Learning Challenges

North Star Fund

Northwest Area Foundation

Northern California Grantmakers

Omidyar Network

Point32Health Foundation

Raikes Foundation

REDF

Robert Sterling Clark Foundation

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Rockefeller Brothers Fund

Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors

Rosenberg Foundation

RRF Foundation for Aging

Ruth Mott Foundation

Rx Foundation

San Diego Foundation

San Francisco Foundation

Scherman Foundation

SchoolHouse Connection

Schott Foundation for Public Education

Schultz Family Foundation

Sierra Health Foundation 

Silicon Valley Community Foundation

SoCal Grantmakers

Stuart Foundation

Stupski Foundation

Surdna FoundationThe Boston Foundation

The California Endowment

The California Wellness Foundation

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

The Colorado Health Foundation

The Commonwealth Fund

The Communications Network

The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina

The Denver Foundation

The FrameWorks Institute

The Funders Network

The George Gund Foundation

The James Irvine Foundation

The Joyce Foundation

The Klarman Family Foundation

The Kresge Foundation

The Libra Foundation

The Miami Foundation

The Nellie Mae Education Foundation

The NUNA Foundation

The Open Society Foundations

The Praxis Project

The Rippel Foundation

The Rockefeller Foundation

The Schmidt Family Foundation

The Skillman Foundation

The Spencer Foundation

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

Tides

Triangle Community Foundation

United Way of Rhode Island

van Ameringen Foundation

Wail of a Tale Productions

Wellspring Philanthropic Fund

WES Mariam Assefa Fund

William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund

W.K. Kellogg Foundation

Women’s Funding Network

Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation

ACCESS Health International

Builders Initiative

Ciencia Puerto Rico

CoGenerate

Digital Promise

Diversity Works

Disability & Philanthropy Forum

Fenton Communications

Great MN Schools

Ignite

Lewis Latimer House Museum

López-Wagner Strategies

National Association of Chronic Disease Directors

Rodel

SCP

Smith & Connors

Spitfire Strategies

TBG Fund Development & Media Consultants

Threespot

UU Class Conversations

Williams Group