For talented Baltimore students, the distance between high school graduation and a college degree is often measured not in miles, but in unmet costs — from tuition and textbooks to housing, transportation and the technology required to compete. A renewed investment of up to $3 million from The Bisciotti Family Foundation will help close that gap, expanding upon its relationship with Morgan State University to lead the next chapter of the Ozzie Newsome Scholars Program and open a wider pathway to a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) education for the city's students.
The eight-year grant, spanning 2026 through 2033, will be facilitated via the Morgan State University Foundation, Inc. It will support 40 new Ozzie Newsome Scholars at Morgan — 10 students in each of the next four incoming classes — with scholarships of $15,000 annually for up to five years, or as much as $75,000 per scholar.
The award is the second Morgan has received from the Foundation for the program and reflects both the Foundation's enduring commitment to HBCU students and its confidence in Morgan's record of stewardship, student support and results. Morgan has welcomed 20 Ozzie Newsome Scholars since the initiative began in 2022, and the program celebrated its first two Morgan graduates in May 2025. Several scholars who began at other participating Maryland HBCUs have also transferred to Morgan to complete their studies.
"This extraordinary, renewed commitment is both an investment in Baltimore's young people and a powerful affirmation of Morgan's ability to turn philanthropic trust into student achievement," said Endia M. DeCordova, vice president for Institutional Advancement at Morgan State University and executive director of the Morgan State University Foundation. "We are deeply grateful to The Bisciotti Family Foundation for its ongoing confidence in our stewardship and in the success we have built together. Morgan will continue to manage these resources with care, accountability and an unwavering focus on helping every Ozzie Newsome Scholar persist, graduate and realize the promise of a Morgan education."
The Foundation will continue honoring its scholarship commitments to current Ozzie Newsome Scholars at Bowie State University, Coppin State University and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. By concentrating future cohorts at Morgan, the Foundation seeks to build a closer institutional partnership in Baltimore while preserving support for students already participating across Maryland's HBCUs.
"Since its inception, the Ozzie Newsome Scholars Program has been about more than financial support," Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said. "It honors Ozzie's legacy by investing in Baltimore students whose talent, determination and character continue to inspire us. We are proud of what these scholars have achieved and confident that Morgan State University will remain an exceptional partner in helping future scholars earn their degrees and impact Baltimore and beyond."
The scholarships are structured to meet the real costs that can interrupt a student's progress. Funds may be used for tuition, fees, books, technical equipment, room and board, transportation and personal expenses. Each selected student must be Pell Grant eligible; graduate from a Baltimore City public school or an approved independent school; begin college in the fall immediately following high school graduation; and enroll in the CollegeBound Foundation's College Completion Program.
"Access to higher education should never depend on whether a promising Baltimore student can overcome every financial barrier alone," said Morgan State University President David K. Wilson. "Morgan exists to create pathways through which talent, determination and opportunity can meet. Donors such as The Bisciotti Family Foundation make those pathways real — giving students the freedom to focus on learning, to persist through challenges and to prepare to lead. This renewed commitment will change the trajectory not only of individual scholars, but also of their families, their communities and the city we proudly call home."
The Baltimore Ravens, team owner Steve Bisciotti and his wife, Renee, announced the Ozzie Newsome Scholars Program in 2021 with a $4 million commitment honoring the Ravens' longtime personnel executive and Pro Football Hall of Famer. Through what was then The Stephen and Renee Bisciotti Foundation, $1 million was awarded to each of Maryland's four HBCUs to provide scholarships for graduates of Baltimore City schools.
Under the original initiative, each university selected five incoming students annually. Scholars received $10,000 a year for up to five years, along with participation in CollegeBound's College Completion Program. Since the program's launch, 80 scholars collectively have received support.
The new award builds on that foundation with a larger annual scholarship for future Morgan cohorts and a sustained, eight-year horizon. Together, Morgan and The Bisciotti Family Foundation will pair meaningful financial assistance with the academic and completion supports students need to move from college access to college graduation—and from educational aspiration to lasting impact.
About Morgan
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering more than 150 baccalaureate, master's degree, doctorate and certificate programs. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.
