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George Mason University faculty member Thema Monroe-White is part of a multi-institution research team awarded more than $1 million from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation to examine how Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) influence economic mobility for Black entrepreneurs. The three-year project will investigate whether attending an HBCU or participating in HBCU-led entrepreneurial programs helps narrow persistent economic gaps between Black and white entrepreneurial founders.
Monroe-White is an associate professor of artificial intelligence and innovation policy in the College of Engineering and Computing’s Department of Computer Science and Schar School of Policy and Government and codirector of the Center for Human-AI Innovation in Society (CHAIS). She will serve as a co-principal investigator with Ebony McGee of Johns Hopkins University and Rachel Atkins of St. John’s University. The team’s work builds on several years of collaboration focused on equity in technology entrepreneurship.
Monroe-White said many Black founders describe a distinctive sense of affirmation and community within HBCU-led entrepreneurial spaces, an effect widely acknowledged but not yet formally defined. “People call it the ‘HBCU effect,’ and we know there's something there that you can't reproduce anywhere else. You can’t quite put a finger on it, but more research can help shine a light on why and how these places and spaces are so valuable for Black communities.”
The research examines if founders who attend and participate in HBCU-led initiatives experience reduced economic disparities from white founders, be it through the HBCU academic environment, professional networks, or entrepreneurial support systems. While previous studies focus on a variety of positive outcomes for HBCU graduates, no large-scale research has examined whether those benefits extend specifically to technology, entrepreneurship, and innovation.
Monroe-White and McGee’s earlier pilot study, supported by the National Science Foundation and the Center for Black Entrepreneurship at Morehouse College, produced what they believe is the largest existing dataset on Black and brown tech and STEM-oriented founders, with roughly 800 survey respondents. Analyses of these data found that these founders, driven by a motivation for racial justice, were significantly more likely to launch business ventures offering products and services targeting marginalized populations. Therefore, building upon evidence that HBCUs improve Black graduates’ labor market outcomes, social mobility, and a desire for racial justice, this project seeks to determine whether those advantages extend to entrepreneurship.
The project uses a combination of statistical and computational approaches to analyze large-scale secondary and survey data combined with what the team calls “sensemaking sessions.” In line with the community engaged research (CER) approach advanced by the team’s program officer Chhaya Kolavalli, these sessions bring preliminary findings back to the communities that informed them to interpret and contextualize the data. “We don’t just analyze the data and publish,” Monroe-White said. “We analyze the data and share back with the communities for expert stakeholder insights, feedback, and course correction as needed prior to publication.”
HBCUs Morehouse College, Harris‑Stowe State University, and Bowie State University will serve as institutional partners, providing on‑the‑ground access to local entrepreneurial ecosystems. These campuses will host events with founders and support organizations, offering insight into how HBCU‑based programs shape entrepreneurial experiences.
In addition to advancing national research on equity in entrepreneurship, the project strengthens the growing portfolio of CHAIS. Monroe-White said the grant reflects the center’s expanding scope and its commitment to interdisciplinary work that addresses structural inequities in STEM innovation ecosystems.
The Kauffman Foundation, known for its commitment to expanding equitable access to economic opportunity, identified the project as aligned with its mission. “They are backing this play unapologetically,” Monroe-White said. “To tell the stories that need telling and to do the research you want to do, you need to feel supported.”