Morehouse College Announces $1 Million Gift to Establish the Kwame Manley and Monique McCloud-Manley Scholarship

Philanthropists Kwame Manley ‘96 and Monique McCloud-Manley have donated $1 million to establish a new scholarship for juniors and seniors at Morehouse College, the nation’s only historically Black liberal arts college dedicated to educating and developing men. The generous gift will provide scholarships for 26 students who need financial assistance to complete their education.

The contribution expands the Manley family’s overall investment in the education of rising Morehouse Men to $1.2 million. The couple initially launched the Kwame Manley Student Success Scholarship in 2022 with a $100,000 donation to provide gap funding for upperclassmen facing shortfalls in their final years of college. The Manleys graciously committed another $100,000 gift two years later.

"Attending Morehouse was the most remarkable experience of my life; it was just fantastic—the professors, the exposure, the opportunities for leadership,” said Kwame Manley '96, Global Chair of the Litigation Department at Paul Hastings LLP. “I would not be where I am today without Morehouse College. It was absolutely integral to my success. It gave me a foundation to grow in ways that I couldn’t even imagine.”

Manley said he didn’t know about Morehouse College until his senior year of high school at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham, N.C. He was inspired to apply after a Morehouse alumnus gave a rousing speech at a Career Fair. Manley was admitted as a freshman to the Class of 1996 and was awarded scholarship support as a Morgan Stanley and Bonner Scholar.

He quickly emerged as a student leader, winning elections as class president and president of the Student Government Association. During his junior year, he was inducted into the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society and was later awarded the national Beinecke Graduate Fellowship senior year.

Manley earned his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School and Master of Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School in 2000.

“My wife, Monique, and I have been very blessed professionally. We decided that we wanted to give back to Morehouse in a meaningful way,” Manley said. “Given the current political and economic climate, a lot of Morehouse students are not going to be able to get the loans they need to graduate. This gift is a way to help bridge that gap.”

The Kwame Manley and Monique McCloud-Manley Scholarship will be available to students in Fall 2026.

“Kwame and Monique Manley’s $1 million gift to Morehouse College will expand opportunities for students to receive a world-class education that will prepare them to lead, serve, and uplift their communities as innovators, employers, and investors,” said F. DuBois Bowman, the 13th President of Morehouse College. “We are profoundly grateful to the Manleys for their generosity and unyielding commitment to open the door for the next generation.”

A dedicated servant leader, Manley has more than 26 years of legal experience, having served as a former deputy chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland and in corporate law. He was named as a partner at Paul Hastings in 2015 and oversees more than 500 attorneys in the global litigation department.

Manley met his wife, Monique McCloud-Manley, a 1998 Spelman alumna, during his college years. She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and was most recently a partner at Mercer Consulting. The couple has two children, a student at Spelman College and a high school sophomore.

The Manleys’ contribution supports the $500 million “Making Men of Consequence” Campaign for Morehouse College, which is driving investment in student scholarships, athletics, building the Campus of the Future, and increasing resources for faculty research and recruitment. The Campaign has raised nearly $370 million through gifts from alumni, friends, foundations, and corporate partners.

“We are deeply grateful for the generous gift from Kwame and Monique Manley in support of our students,” said Hodan Hassan, Vice President of Institutional Advancement at Morehouse College. “This transformative investment will have a lasting impact on our students and is especially meaningful as it reflects the deep commitment and thoughtfulness of our alumnus and his family.”