Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and his wife, producer Patty Quillin, are donating $10 million to fund scholarship programs at Tougaloo College and Brown University.
The gift will provide financial aid for Tougaloo students studying medicine, public health, the sciences, education, business and other community-focused fields, as well as support a 58-years-long partnership between Brown and Tougaloo, an HBCU based in Jackson, Mississippi.
“HBCUs have been vastly undervalued for a long time,” said Hastings and Quillin in a joint statement Monday. “They have an incredible track record of graduating so many Black leaders across the U.S. — doctors, lawyers, engineers and more. By investing in the extraordinary students who attend Tougaloo and Brown, we’re investing in America’s future.”
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Half of the donation will go to Tougaloo to fund its endowment and need-based scholarships for high-achieving students; the other $5 million will establish the Brown-Tougaloo Partnership Scholarship Fund as part of Brown University’s endowment and provide support for Tougaloo students who come to Brown, whether to pursue a graduate or medical degree or through an academic exchange program.
“The remarkable personal gift to the historic Brown-Tougaloo Partnership from philanthropists Reed Hastings and Patricia Quillin will transform the lives of Tougaloo College students,” said Tougaloo president Carmen J. Walters. “This donation, setting a new precedent as the largest gift to the Brown-Tougaloo Partnership, is a living testimony to their strong belief in the value of giving, the value of education and the value of HBCUs. This transformative gift is a life-changing opportunity for our students, and the impact will be far-reaching.”
Adds Brown University president Christina H. Paxson, “Brown and Tougaloo share a deeply held commitment to preparing graduates to make a positive impact in their communities. Our shared ideals serve as an unbreakable foundation for a 58-year-old partnership that has yielded important insights for students and scholars, infused both campuses with new perspectives and provided life-changing experiences for Tougaloo and Brown students. This generous gift from Reed Hastings and Patty Quillin ensures that this truly one-of-a-kind partnership will continue to expand for many decades to come.”
The Brown-Tougaloo Partnership began in 1964 as the college fought state lawmakers’ efforts to revoke its charter amid the civil rights movement. It began with a student exchange program funded by the Rockefeller and Ford foundations, according to a Monday announcement, and over the years more than 760 students and faculty have participated.
This gift follows a combined $120 million donation Hastings and Quillin made in June 2020 to the United Negro College Fund, Morehouse College and Spelman College.
