Huston-Tillotson University receives single largest donation to an HBCU with $150 million gift, school says

By Jordan D. Brown, CNN

(CNN) — Huston-Tillotson University, a private university in Austin, Texas, will receive a $150 million donation over the next 10 years – the single-largest gift ever given to a historically Black college or university.

In honor of the university’s 150th anniversary, Ross Moody, trustee and vice president of The Moody Foundation, announced the charitable organization’s historic gift during the university’s opening convocation Thursday to a roar of applause and cheers.

The large donation comes as the Trump administration continues to crack down on diversity, equity and inclusion programs at public universities. President Donald Trump also recently redirected nearly $500 million in federal funding to HBCUs after cutting grants for Hispanic-serving colleges.

Huston-Tillotson’s president and CEO, Melva K. Wallace, said the donation will be “transformational” for the historically Black liberal arts university.

“I see this as an endorsement of what we’re doing and a rocket booster to help us get to the next level,” Wallace told CNN. “The difference maker is that this is truly going to help students.”

The donation will go toward supporting students through scholarships and expanding university housing and campus buildings, Wallace said.

It is the largest gift the Texas-based Moody Foundation has donated in its 83-year history.

In 2023, The Moody Foundation pledged to donate $1 billion by 2035 towards education in Texas. Ross Moody said this gift represents the foundation’s belief in education and Huston-Tillotson.

The foundation originally intended to gift the university $130 million, but its vice president said, “Our belief in (Huston-Tillotson’s) vision and in this university’s future moved us to do more.”

The Moody Foundation has donated to Huston-Tillotson over the past five decades, totaling over $1.3 million since 1968, said Elle Moody, the foundation’s senior vice president of grants.

“This institution is special in more ways than most are aware and are deserving of a grant of this magnitude,” Elle Moody said in a statement to CNN.

She said the foundation hopes to send a clear message with its donation. “We believe in Huston-Tillotson, and we’re committed to supporting the next 150 years.”

What is now known as Huston-Tillotson was founded in 1875 by George J. Tillotson. The Tillotson Collegiate and Normal Institute was chartered in 1877 with a goal of providing teacher training and quality education for African Americans.

The school was renamed Tillotson College in 1909 and officially recognized as a four-year institution in 1931. Over 20 years later, Tillotson College merged with Samuel Huston College to establish Huston-Tillotson College in 1952.

The institution was renamed to Huston-Tillotson University in 2005. The 23-acre campus is home to 1,059 students this semester, Wallace said.

Linda Y. Jackson, vice president for institutional advancement, said the university has overcome every obstacle thrown its way over the last 150 years. Through segregation, the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Lives Matter movement, the lone HBCU in Austin, Texas, is still standing, she said.

“We have been through every single thing, but there’s one component that’s at the core of what we do here at Huston-Tillotson University, and that is the fact that students are here to fulfill their dreams and aspirations,” Jackson told CNN.

Foundation has history of supporting Texas universities

The Moody Foundation was founded in 1942 by W.L. Moody Jr. and Libbie Shearn Moody. Moody Jr., founder of Moody National Bank, was an entrepreneur across several fields: banking, insurance, hotels, ranching and newspaper printing.

He created the foundation with his wife to share their wealth and make a difference in the lives of Texans. Their family is carrying out their wish with the foundation now led by Frances Moody-Dahlberg, Ross Moody and Elle Moody.

This foundation has donated to several universities in Texas including Rice University, University of Texas at Austin and University of North Texas.

Wallace called the Moody family “angels of change” for their investment in education at Huston-Tillotson.

“(The Moodys) support education. They support this institution. They support Texas and I hope that it becomes a symbol of infectious generosity, where one person is inspired to do something and then others begin to follow suit,” Wallace said.

The Moodys’ gift tops the $100 million donation to Spelman College in 2024 that previously held the title for largest-single donation to a historically Black college or university.

Wallace hopes Huston-Tillotson doesn’t carry the rank for long, and encourages other philanthropists to follow the Moodys.

“I’m calling out all philanthropists out there to top this, because our HBCUs need it, and they deserve it,” Wallace said.

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