Sponsorship highlights MetLife’s enduring commitment in support of HBCU students
NEW YORK, September 12, 2024
MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET) today announced it is partnering with the Toyota HBCUNY Classic presented by Walmart for the third consecutive year. Featuring a matchup of renowned HBCU schools Howard University and Morehouse College, the football game will take place at MetLife Stadium on September 14, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. ET. The event marks the start of HBCU homecoming week and will showcase spectacular drumline performances and a battle of the bands between the participating schools during halftime.
MetLife’s sponsorship builds on MetLife and MetLife Foundation’s long and rich history of enabling access to education and fostering economic mobility for thousands of HBCU students through partnerships with the UNCF (United Negro College Fund) and TMCF (Thurgood Marshall College Fund). In fact, MetLife has been helping HBCU students though its partnership with UNCF for 78 of its 80 years in existence.
“MetLife’s sponsorship of the Toyota HBCUNY Classic presented by Walmart is a testament to its long-standing history of supporting HBCUs through organizations like UNCF,” said Michael Roberts, Chief Marketing Officer at MetLife. “We are proud that MetLife had the vision almost eight decades ago to support HBCUs and we remain dedicated to building more confident futures through access to quality education.”
Albert Williams, President & CEO of Sports Eleven05 LLC, producers of the Classic, expressed his gratitude: “We extend our thanks to MetLife for their ongoing support of the Toyota HBCUNY Classic — the world’s largest HBCU homecoming — hosted at MetLife Stadium. We deeply appreciate MetLife's partnership in uplifting our students and championing HBCUs.”
During the live broadcast on CNBC, MetLife will feature an in-broadcast segment highlighting its 78-year partnership with UNCF, featuring Warren Williams, Regional Director at UNCF. Additionally, Reginald Goins, a former UNCF scholarship recipient and graduate of two HBCUs -- Morehouse College and Prairie View A&M University's School of Business -- who is now President and COO of The Honickman Companies, underscores the importance of supporting HBCU students and its impact on their futures and communities. The video will also be shown throughout MetLife Stadium on the day of the game and on MetLife’s social media channels.
In addition to MetLife sponsoring the game, MetLife Foundation has recently granted an aggregate of $2.5 million to several HBCU-related initiatives, including:
- MetLife Foundation Legacy Endowed Scholarship at UNCF provides yearly need-based scholarships to college students enrolled at an HBCU and majoring in STEM, business, finance or accounting.
- Partnership with TMCF to deploy training in advanced technologies like AI for TMCF scholars.
- Supporting the National HBCU Talent Development Internship Program in partnership with LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation), providing internships for juniors and seniors attending HBCUs.
- As part of its ACE Innovation Fund, MetLife Foundation is supporting HBCUvc in addressing the wealth gap by connecting students attending HBCUs to careers in venture capital and finance through training and internships in the sector.
- Pathway Community Foundation’s North Carolina HBCU Smart Cities Challenge empowers talented HBCU students within North Carolina to develop technology-driven applications to make their cities healthier, inclusive, and environmentally focused.
About Toyota HBCUNY Classic presented by Walmart
The HBCUNY Classic is a multi-day celebration highlighting the culture and community of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), culminating in an exciting football game at MetLife Stadium. This annual event, produced by Sports Eleven05 LLC, features teams from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). The Toyota HBCU New York Classic is presented live on CNBC, Peacock, and the NBC Sports App. For more information, visit www.hbcunyclassic.com. Tickets for the Toyota HBCUNY Classic presented by Walmart can be purchased at Ticketmaster by clicking here.
About MetLife
MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET), through its subsidiaries and affiliates (“MetLife”), is one of the world’s leading financial services companies, providing insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management to help individual and institutional customers build a more confident future. Founded in 1868, MetLife has operations in more than 40 markets globally and holds leading positions in the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, visit www.metlife.com.
About MetLife Foundation
At MetLife Foundation, we are committed to driving inclusive economic mobility for underserved and underrepresented communities around the world. We collaborate with nonprofit organizations and provide grants aligned to three strategic focus areas – economic inclusion, financial health and resilient communities – while engaging MetLife employee volunteers to help drive impact. MetLife Foundation was established in 1976 to continue MetLife’s long tradition of corporate contributions and community involvement. Since its inception, MetLife Foundation has contributed over $1 billion to strengthen communities where MetLife has a presence. To learn more about MetLife Foundation, visit www.MetLife.org.