KOCH BROTHERS GIVE $25 MILLION TO UNITED NEGRO COLLEGE FUND

KOCH BROTHERS GIVE $25 MILLION TO UNITED NEGRO COLLEGE FUND

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by JOEL B. POLLAK 6 Jun 2014, 8:16 AM PDT

In a move that is sure to confound--and enrage--the left, the Koch brothers have donated $25 million to the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), the foremost source of financial support to African-American students.

The UNCF launched the "Koch Scholars" program Friday, which "will provide nearly 3,000 merit- based awards to African American undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctorate students seeking scholarship assistance."

According to Koch Industries, Inc., the donation will also help fund 37 historically black colleges, which have struggled with financial shortfalls in recent years.

"We are enormously grateful to Koch Industries and the Charles Koch Foundation for their long-standing support of UNCF and for helping to create new opportunities for earned success and a better future for our students,” said UNCF president and CEO Dr. Michael Lomax.

The Koch brothers, Charles and David, are the Democrats' favored targets in campaigns against Republicans in general, particularly on themes of climate change and campaign finance. Led by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, for whom the Koch brothers are a passionate obsession, Demcorats have made attacks on the Kochs the central feature of their midterm election campaign and their attempt to retain control of the U.S. Senate.

The Kochs, who support a variety of conservative, free market, and libertarian causes, are also known for their philanthropy in a variety of areas.

The $25 million donation to the UNCF is not a one-time gift aimed at easing public scrutiny, but is in fact the continuation of a long association between Koch-owned companies and the organization.

Regardless, Democrats may find that demonizing the Kochs will become a bit more difficult.

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United Negro College Fund prepares to ‘take the heat’ for accepting $25M grant from Koch brothers

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By Associated Press
Friday, June 6, 2014

WASHINGTON — The United Negro College Fund announced a $25 million grant Friday from Koch Industries Inc. and the Charles Koch Foundation — a large donation from the conservative powerhouse Koch name that Democrats have sought to vilify heading into the 2014 midterm elections.The UNCF, known for its iconic motto, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste,” supports historically black colleges and universities and provides scholarships.

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SEE ALSO: Sen. Bernie Sanders tries to tie Koch brothers to VA scandal

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From the donation, $18.5 million will go toward nearly 3,000 merit-based scholarships to African-American students, and $6.5 million will go toward general support for historically black colleges and universities and the UNCF.African-Americans are a key constituency within the Democratic Party. But Michael Lomax, president and

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of UNCF, said that since the organization’s inception in 1944, it has reached out to people of all backgrounds for support without an “ideological lens” because it is in everyone’s interest. The organization has awarded $100 million in scholarships to more than 12,000 students at 900 schools this year alone, but he said the need is so great that the organization turns away nine out of every 10 applicants, or about 100,000 students annually.He said that in today’s politically charged climate, he’s prepared to take criticism from those of different political leanings than the Kochs.“Criticism is a small price for helping young people get the chance to realize their dream of a college

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, and if I’ve got to bear the brunt of someone else’s criticism to ensure that we have the resources to help those students, then I can handle it, and I can take the heat,” Lomax said.Lomax said he and Charles Koch, chairman and CEO of Koch Industries, based in Wichita, Kansas, had lunch together and were able to find that we “shared a profound belief in the importance of education.”“We talked about students. We talked about the kinds of support they need. We talked about the shared belief that there are a lot of talented young people there whose lives will be transformed if they get a chance to complete a college degree,” Lomax said.

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SEE ALSO: Senate Democrats mention Koch brothers twice as much as Putin in April

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In a statement, Koch said that “increasing well-being by helping people improve their lives has long been our focus” and that the partnership will provide promising students with new

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opportunities.“We have tremendous respect for UNCF and we are hopeful this investment will further its effectiveness in helping students pursue their dreams,” Koch said.Historically black colleges and universities, which serve a disproportionately large share of low-income students, have been hit particularly hard by the economic downturn. Among the issues: a lack of healthy endowments, a high unemployment rate among black Americans and tougher credit standards implemented by the Education Department that make it harder to secure a federal Parent PLUS

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used by many of these students’ families.Scholarship recipients in the new “UNCF/Koch Scholars Program” are to be exemplary students interested in how the study of entrepreneurship, economics and innovation contributes to overall well-being. They must attend one of UNCF’s 37-member private historically black colleges and universities or one of the 250 colleges and universities where the Charles Koch Foundation has an existing program. They will attend an annual summit, have mentorship opportunities and have the ability to participate in an

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community.UNCF said it will hire additional staff to help oversee the program, and the effectiveness of the program will be monitored.Koch Industries has a history of supporting UNCF dating to 2005, when it acquired the company Georgia-Pacific. Georgia-Pacific supported UNCF going back four decades. Since 1995, Georgia-Pacific and Koch have donated more than $1.5 million to UNCF, according to Koch.Curley Dossman, president of the Georgia-Pacific Foundation, said it’s because of that long-standing relationship that UNCF approached Koch about the new gift.Charles Koch is a billionaire in his 70s who, along with his brother, David, built the hugely profitable and privately held Koch conglomerate focused on chemicals, textiles, paper and other products from an oil company they inherited from their father.Longtime patrons of libertarian and conservative causes, the brothers have built an elaborate network of political and social groups that have funneled tens of millions of dollars to groups such as Americans for Prosperity. The network is among the most potent outside forces driving Republican politics and candidates.The Kochs have relied on a complex tax and campaign finance system to keep most of their donations shrouded in mystery, and several of the groups they

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do not have to disclose the names of their donors in real time. In many cases, years pass before the Kochs’ level of giving is disclosed.The Charles Koch Foundation’s mission, according to its tax forms, is to advance “liberty and economic freedom by educating students in a classroom.” That foundation does not directly fund political operations.Democrats such as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have sought to depict the two men, who support low taxes and less regulation, as buying elections to support their own business interests.This is the fifth-largest gift UNCF said it has received. The largest, $1.6 billion, came from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

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