The 2021 Atlanta ‘Mayor’s Cup’ was held at the East Lake Golf Club and raised nearly $500,000 to assist Atlanta students representing 36 universities and 13 high schools in the Atlanta Public School system. The funds will provide scholarships for the students to attend a college or university of their choice. Over the last decade, the Program has supported 875 students from high schools across Atlanta.
“As I look at you all today, I know for 92 scholars this year, you are standing in the gap for them. I cannot thank you enough,” Mayor Bottoms told those in attendance. Mayor Bottoms was recently named the first HBCU Executive Leadership Institute (ELI) Honorary Fellow in partnership with the HBCU ELI Advisory Board and the Council of Past HBCU Presidents. Both Mayor Bottoms and the HBCU ELI are committed to ensuring the next generation of leaders receive the financial support they need. The scholars will benefit from the fundraising efforts, many of whom are enrolled at HBCUs such as CAU, Florida A&M, Howard, Morehouse College, Spelman College, and NCA&T, amongst others.

Courtesy City of Atlanta
The Mayor’s Youth Scholarship Program helps these deserving students with college expenses so that financial hardship is not a barrier to seeking higher education. The Program ensures that Atlanta high school graduates can receive funding for college, helping to build a strong foundation for future career success and wealth building.
In honor of Mayor Bottoms being named an honorary fellow of the HBCU Executive Leadership Institute, this year’s event also featured attendance by Dr. Phyllis Worthy Dawkins, Executive Director of the HBCU Executive Leadership Institute at Clark Atlanta University; Dr. George French Jr., President of Clark Atlanta University; and Dr. Robert Franklin, President Emeritus of Morehouse College. The institute, funded in large part by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), serves as an incubator for recruiting and developing the next generation of leaders for more than 100 HBCUs. The first-of-its-kind program boasts a roster that includes 58% women, making it the nation’s most diverse cohort of future HBCU leaders.