HBCUs In North Carolina Receive $1M Gift From FanDuel Sportsbook

FanDuel recently made its fourth $1 million donation to the United Negro College Fund. The gift will provide financial assistance to students at 11 historically Black colleges and universities across North Carolina.

FanDuel’s donation focuses on students and institutions historically facing systemic underfunding and limited resources. The donation is earmarked for UNCF’s Emergency Student Aid program, which helps students cover a range of essential needs, including technology, housing, food security, tuition, and other education-related expenses.

North Carolina houses the second-most historically Black colleges and universities in the US.

Gift will directly benefit students in North Carolina

FanDuel dominates the North Carolina sports betting market. The sportsbook enjoys a 59% market share among the eight licensed sports betting operators in the state.

FanDuel Sportsbook NC‘s donation was officially made on Sept. 29 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte with a check presentation at the Panthers-Bengals game. The company is an official sports betting partner of the Panthers.

Larry A. Griffith, United Negro College Fund (UNCF) executive vice president for programs and student services, praised FanDuel’s commitment to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

“FanDuel is setting an exemplary standard for other private entities by investing in deserving students. Their ongoing support is crucial in empowering HBCUs and their students to flourish and focus on their higher education mission.”

While HBCUs were originally founded to educate black students who couldn’t attend predominantly white institutions due to legal segregation, they currently enroll students of other races as well.

The donation will directly benefit students at the 11 HBCUs in the state:

  • Barber-Scotia College
  • Bennett College
  • Elizabeth City State University
  • Fayetteville State University
  • Johnson C. Smith University
  • Livingstone College
  • North Carolina A&T State University
  • North Carolina Central University
  • Augustine’s University
  • Shaw University
  • Winston-Salem State University

Five NC HBCUs also receive sports betting tax revenue funds

As of August, the state has collected $63 million in tax revenue since sports wagering became legal in March.

Under North Carolina’s sports betting law, tax proceeds from gross sports wagering revenue go to five groups, one of which includes the athletic departments of 13 state universities. Each school will receive up to $300,000 annually. If money is left over after the allocations, 20% of the remaining proceeds will be evenly distributed among the 13 schools.

The five HBCU collegiate athletic programs receiving sports betting tax revenue are:

  • Elizabeth City State University
  • Fayetteville State University
  • North Carolina A&T University
  • North Carolina Central University
  • Winston-Salem State University

North Carolina A&T and North Carolina Central are NCAA Division I institutions. The other three are Division II.

North Carolina HBCUs rank high in achievement

While sports betting tax revenue is specifically earmarked for athletic programs, FanDuel’s funds are more academic-focused.

HBCUs in the state are well-known for producing high-achieving graduates. Some have award-winning programs, such as NC A&T’s College of Engineering. The school was recently named one of the 25 “most innovative” universities in America by USA Today.

Led by NC A&T, four of North Carolina’s HBCUs ranked in the top 20 of the over 100 HBCUs in the latest U.S. News and World Report HBCU rankings.

Fayetteville State just missed the cut at No. 21.

 

Image Credit: Chris Seward / AP Images

About the Author

Cheryl Coward

Cheryl Coward started her career as a news reporter in Washington, DC. She's a die-hard women's basketball fan and founded the website Hoopfeed.com as a result of that passion. She loves writing about sports on all levels and has previous experience covering sports betting regulations, operator marketing campaigns and women's sports gambling topics.