Open nowRolling / open intake
ELC Endowment
Endowment / long-term sustainabilityEquitable accessLeadership development
About Executive Leadership Council
To increase the number of successful Black executives, domestically and internationally, by adding value to their development, leadership and philanthropic endeavors across the lifecycle of their careers.
Focus Areas
leadership developmenthigher education scholarshipsdiversity, equity & inclusion (DEI)corporate governance / board representationHBCU supportcommunity impact / local nonprofit supportresearch and thought leadership
Who They Fund
students (individual scholarship recipients)postsecondary/college-bound students
Funding Style
direct individual support (scholarships)
About Executive Leadership Council
Executive Leadership Council channels scholarships and institutional support toward building the pipeline for Black executives, with a stated aim to increase the number of successful Black executives in the United States and internationally across their careers. Recent grants show that education is a central lever: Howard University received $739,970 in 2024 and $534,315 in 2025 for scholarships, while North Carolina A&T State University received $230,790 in 2024 and $220,901 in 2025 for scholarship support. The foundation also backs HBCU-related institutions and organizations connected to leadership development, corporate governance, DEI, and research. Its grant list includes support for The Herman J Russell Center for Entrepreneurship Inc., the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, and Spelman College. The active program lineup includes student scholarships, signature scholarships, research initiatives, an annual fund, impact grants, and an endowment, indicating a mix of direct student support, organizational support, and longer-term infrastructure for leadership development. Across the recent grants list, the recurring pattern is sustained support for colleges and organizations that align with talent development, civic engagement, and thought leadership.
What Executive Leadership Council Funds
In higher education funding, the foundation made a $128,000 scholarship grant to Spelman College in 2025 and a $112,500 scholarship grant to Alabama A&M University in 2025, alongside additional scholarship support for Florida A&M University, Morehouse College, and Georgia Institute of Technology. HBCU support is also explicit in the Ann Fudge Scholarship Program, which benefits high-achieving undergraduate Black female students at top Historically Black Colleges and Universities. For research and thought leadership, the ELC Research Initiatives program is designed to support a research engine that generates materials and resources on diversity, equity and inclusion. In community impact, the ELC Impact Grants program supports national and local organizations as part of the council’s community support and civic responsibility efforts.
How Executive Leadership Council Gives
The typical grant size is tightly clustered: p25 is $10,000, median is $10,000, and p75 is $25,000. That said, recent awards also include much larger institutional grants, showing a two-track pattern of smaller scholarship-style awards and larger operating or program gifts. The grant list shows repeated support to the same institutions across multiple years, including Howard University, North Carolina A&T State University, Spelman College, Florida A&M University, and Hampton University. Executive Leadership Council is classified as a regular funder, and several active programs accept unsolicited requests, including the ELC Endowment, ELC Student Scholarships, ELC Signature Scholarships, the ELC Annual Fund, and the Ann Fudge Scholarship Program.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$4M
Total Assets
$64.9M
Total Revenue
$24.9M
Total Expenses
$25.8M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $25K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$25K
Geographic Reach
National33 states funded
About 5% of grants go to recipients in MD.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
MICHAEL HYTER
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