Dr. Richard 'Dick' Barnett shooting a jumpshot while playing with the New York Knicks
Dr. Richard 'Dick' Barnett shooting a jumpshot while playing for Tennessee State University

The Dr. Richard Barnett Foundation inspires youth to chase their dreams and empowers them to get there. A core part of that mission is to support more and better pathways to higher education, especially elevating opportunities and leveling the playing field for historically underrepresented students and HBCUs.

We're grateful to our partners who have each committed $50k+ in financial and other resources to the Foundation, ensuring this team can play a critical role in shaping a better future we can all be proud of!

Dr. Richard 'Dick' Barnett standing with youth from NBA Cares
Signature Bank logo

The Signature Scholars initiative is dedicated to serving NY youth in academic and athletic programs, providing comprehensive support throughout the college process with tutoring, test preparation, applications and financial aid advising. We're thrilled to support the achievements of Dr. Barnett, Tennessee A & I (now TSU), and the next generation of America's students!

A-List Education logo

A-List Education is proud to support the Foundation's work with high school students as they prepare for college, and is committed to providing professional development, adaptive learning software and instruction to schools, teachers, and families across the country. Equal access to higher education should be a right not a privilege and we're inspired every day to fight to make that a reality.

Robin logo

Robin salutes the incredible character and resilience that has driven Dr. Barnett to overcome obstacles, achieve greatness, and live a life of service. We create programs dedicated to training the mind, body and soul of our young people — on the court, in the classroom, or anywhere else, we want to help everyone be their best selves.

CampusReel logo

CampusReel is all about connecting students to college, helping them find the right fit for the next chapter of their lives. In service to that mission, we are committing our resources free of charge to TSU and up to an additional $30,000 in enrollment services to the broader HBCU community to drive recruitment and growth.

The Foundation is proud to support organizations at the center of the fight to bring equity and access to higher education:

NYCFC's City in the Community logo

NYCFC's City in the Community uses the power of soccer to promote health, education and leadership development and create safe community spaces, where programming is free of charge. CITC NY has received national recognition and has been selected twice as a finalist for ESPN's Sports Humanitarian of the Year Award. In addition, NYCFC was named 2016 and 2019 MLS Community Relations Team of the Year and now has partnered with DRBF to deliver mindful, college access programs for high school students.

FairTest logo

FairTest is a policy advocacy organization whose mission is to work for more limited, transparent, and appropriate use of standardized assessments to access higher education. We are excited to partner with the Foundation to help equalize access to educational opportunities for all students regardless of income, race, or gender - every student deserves the chance to succeed and DRBF is helping to make that possible!

Making Kids Win logo

Making Kids Win (MKW) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization conceived of and created by Actor, Michael K. Williams. Growing up in Brooklyn and experiencing many of the challenges youth face today inspired him to create MKW. The organization seeks, above all else, to provide the community's underserved young men and women with education and opportunities that impedes and impacts their risk of gun violence. We are thrilled to partner with DRBF to bring inspired programming to empower the next generation!