United Black Family Scholarship Foundation

UBFSF volunteers come from colleges and universities across the world, including several representatives from the University of Michigan. Our incarcerated founder, Ivan Kilgore, has spent over 20 years in the prison system. He has learned about the challenges incarcerated individuals face during, and following, incarceration.

The United Black Family Scholarship Foundation (UBFSF) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to rebuilding communities from within by expanding access to education, economic opportunity, and leadership development. Our work is rooted in the belief that education is more than earning credentials—it is a tool for empowerment, critical thinking, and social transformation. Through scholarships, training programs, and community initiatives, we equip individuals with the knowledge and resources needed to challenge systemic inequality and create lasting change in their own communities. UBFSF develops programs that address interconnected social issues such as poverty, mass incarceration, housing inequity, and barriers to economic mobility. Our initiatives include scholarship and community grant programs, workforce and leadership development opportunities, community reinvestment projects, and media and storytelling efforts that amplify underrepresented voices. We also work directly with incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals by providing educational resources and leadership training designed to help break cycles of incarceration and create pathways to stability and opportunity. A key part of our approach is hands-on engagement. Students and volunteers collaborate on real-world projects in areas such as policy research, marketing, data analysis, community organizing, and program development. This experiential model allows volunteers to gain meaningful professional skills while contributing to measurable social impact. Ultimately, UBFSF exists to cultivate leaders, strengthen communities, and demonstrate how collective action—driven by education and opportunity—can transform lives across generations.