Netflix co-CEO Reed Hastings and his wife, film producer Patty Quillin, have donated $10 million to Mississippi’s Tougaloo College and its partnership with Rhode Island’s Brown University.
Tougaloo will use its $5 million to fund scholarships at the college, while Brown University will use its $5 million to establish the Brown-Tougaloo Partnership Scholarship Fund.
“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,” Tougaloo president Carmen J. Walters said in a statement.
The Brown-Tougaloo partnership, which was created in 1964 during the civil rights movement, has connected more than 760 students and faculty through various programs and initiatives.
Hastings explained that the couple was inspired by the 58-year partnership between the two schools, which prompted them to support the collaboration and donate.
“HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) have been vastly undervalued for a long time,” said Hastings and Quillin in a joint statement. “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.”
The initial annual payout for the Brown-Tougaloo Partnership Scholarship Fund will range between $200,000 and $250,000 and is expected to grow as it helps cover costs for students at both schools.
