Cohort Sistas Receives Grant from Henry Luce Foundation to Expand Mentorship Program
Cohort Sistas is thrilled to announce that it has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation to bolster its Sista Circle Mentorship Program. This grant will empower Cohort Sistas to enhance its mission to enhance the recruitment, retention, success, and well-being of historically excluded scholars, especially Black women.
The Henry Luce Foundation, known for its commitment to initiatives that encourage innovation, promote inclusivity, and advance knowledge for the betterment of society, selected Cohort Sistas for its impactful efforts in providing peer and professional mentorship that improves socio-emotional outcomes and retention for underrepresented women and nonbinary doctoral students. This generous funding will enable Cohort Sistas to expand the reach of its Sista Circle Mentorship Program and further cultivate a pipeline of women of color researchers and mentors.
"We are deeply honored to receive this grant from the Henry Luce Foundation," said Ijeoma Kola, Ph.D., Executive Director of Cohort Sistas. "This support comes at a pivotal moment as the rise in anti-DEI policy and its subsequent constraint on institutional programming presents an additional barrier to many Black women and other marginalized doctoral students, especially those in STEM fields."
According to the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, STEM doctoral degree attainment among Black women decreased from 1.3 percent to 1.1 percent of all doctoral degrees awarded in these fields between 2010 to 2019. The Sista Circle Mentorship Program, Cohort Sistas’ cornerstone program, provides year-long mentorship to early-stage doctoral students through discipline-based small groups and virtual monthly meetings. The program is designed to enhance academic skills, build confidence, and foster a sense of belonging among doctoral students who often face unique challenges in their academic journey. To date, the program has mentored 130 doctoral students and applicants, 63% of whom are in STEM disciplines.
For media inquiries or further information, please contact: info@cohortsistas.org.
About Cohort Sistas
Cohort Sistas is dedicated to advancing gender and racial equity in doctoral education. Our mission is to foster inclusive pathways to advanced research doctorates by enhancing the recruitment, retention, success, and well-being of historically excluded scholars, especially Black women. Since 2020, Cohort Sistas has provided digital resources, personalized mentorship, and a supportive network to doctoral students, applicants, and degree holders, helping them navigate academia, build meaningful careers, and increase their well-being.
About the Henry Luce Foundation
The Henry Luce Foundation seeks to deepen knowledge and understanding in pursuit of a more democratic and just world. Established in 1936 by Henry R. Luce, the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Time, Inc., the Luce Foundation advances its mission by nurturing knowledge communities and institutions, fostering dialogue across divides, enriching public discourse, amplifying diverse voices, and investing in leadership development.
