Howard Memorial Fund (New York, N.Y.)

Originally called the Brooklyn Howard Colored Orphan Asylum, the Howard Orphanage and Industrial School was founded (1868) and operated by African Americans, unlike other orphanages that cared for destitute black children. In 1911 the Howard Orphanage purchased a farm on Long Island, closed the Brooklyn facility, and moved 250 boys and girls there. The children were taught practical skills, and were "placed out" with individual families when they reached the age of sixteen. The Orphanage was forced to close in January 1918 due to the severe winter that caused the water pipes to freeze, resulting in two children having to have their feet amputated. Following the foreclosure on the mortgage, the trustees of the orphanage used the financial contributions, which individuals continued to send, for the education of needy black students in Brooklyn high schools. The organization was renamed the Howard Memorial Fund in 1956.

From the guide to the Howard Orphanage and Industrial School records, 1898-1955, 1912-1918, (The New York Public Library. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division.)

The Howard Memorial Fund grew out of the Brooklyn Colored Orphanage Asylum (1868). The name of the institution was changed to the Howard Orphanage and Industrial School in 1912 and closed six years later. Funds from a bequest made it possible for the establishment, in 1946, of a scholarship fund to provide assistance to black students between the ages of fourteen and twenty years who resided on Long Island, Queens and Brooklyn. The scholarship was to be used to prepare the students for a vocation or to secure preliminary education leading to vocational training. Most of the recipients were youngsters under the care of social agencies who needed help to continue their senior year in high school.

In later years the Fund has focused on aiding students seeking undergraduate college degrees, rather than high school diplomas. In keeping with its historic mission, priority is given to black students who are orphans, in foster care, or otherwise have an economically disadvantaged background.

From the description of Howard Memorial Fund records, 1945-1990. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 229129089