Impact of Giving
Your support strengthens every stage of the Black student journey, from high school through to alumni life.
Donations help us:
- Expand tutoring and mentorship programs to grade 11 and 12 students
- Provide culturally grounded mental-health and wellness supports
- Develop leadership and career programs
- Deliver high-impact cultural events like Black Grad and Black History Month
- Create new scholarships and awards
- Enhance our physical space and community lounges
The RBC Foundation’s $1.5-million investment demonstrates how transformative funding accelerates our impact across mentorship, outreach and career development programming.
How to Give
You can donate through McMaster’s secure online giving portal, set up monthly contributions or connect with the Advancement team to discuss a partnership or legacy gift.
Impact of Giving Learn MoreOur Funding Priorities
Your contribution may support:
- Scholarships and bursaries for Black students
- Academic and career mentorship
- Mental-health and wellness programming
- High-school and pre-university outreach
- Facility upgrades and community lounge enhancements
- National outreach and model-building with other institutions
- Student staff employment and leadership training
- Small or large events including Black Grad
Recognition
We honour and celebrate our donors. Recognition opportunities include:
- Specific program naming opportunities within the BSSC
- Donor appreciation events
- Donor walls and plaques
- Invitations to meet students and learn about impact firsthand
Recommended Reading
The Black Student Success Centre: ‘It’s not a moment – it’s a movement’
The BSSC gives Black students not only a wealth of resources and supports, but also a tight-knit, supportive community, a sense of belonging, and the confidence to thrive.
Onyx Initiative award recognizes Black Student Success Centre’s trailblazing work
Created by philanthropists and community leaders Wayne and Nigela Purboo, the awards recognize the BSSC’s work to empower students by giving them the skills, networks and support they need to thrive.
“Building powerful connections:” Black Student Success Centre marks one-year anniversary
One year ago, the Black Student Success Centre (BSSC) – the first physical space at McMaster dedicated to supporting and championing the success of Black students – opened its doors.
Welcoming students to the Black Student Success Centre’s brand-new space
As more activities return to McMaster’s campus, the Black Student Success Centre (BSSC) is also inviting students to visit the in-person space to connect, study and work together.
About Us
Our Community on LinkedIn
Abigail S.
Monday night’s Ubuntu Dialogue #1: Justice with Compassion brought together two remarkable thinkers, Dr. Siyabulela Mandela Ph.D. 🇿🇦✌🏿🇵🇸 and Dr. Kofi Hope, DPhil, for an evening that spanned international policy, conflict resolution, and community engagement.
Koko Sanginga
I started the semester as a Pod Lead with the Black Student Success Centre (BSSC) Welcome Week Team. As an outgoing student, I found it particularly important to be part of the orientation of our incoming class of Black students. The first years were the focus of the week but seeing our community grow and relationships form made for a very fulfilling experience.
Oyinade Adekunle
When I sent that first email to the ACGSA team to be added to the membership list, I had no idea that one day I would serve as President of ACGSA McMaster University, the only Black-focused graduate student association at McMaster University.
Landry Kalembo
I had the chance of attending the first Ubuntu Dialogue: Justice with Compassion at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto. The evening featured powerful discussions with trailblazing political scientists, including Rhodes Scholar Dr. Kofi Hope, DPhil and Dr. Siyabulela Mandela Ph.D. 🇿🇦✌🏿🇵🇸 —whose presence echoed the legacy of his great-grandfather, Nelson Mandela.
Mark John Stewart
Since its inception only a few years ago, McMaster University‘s Black Student Success Centre (BSSC) has grown into a dynamic hub supporting and championing the academic, personal, and professional success and overall well-being of students.
Oluwadamilola Babatunde
It was a pleasure to be invited as a panelist for the Success & Sanity event last Thursday organized by the Black Student Success Centre Chinazo (Nazo) Okereke, CHRP and Landry Kalembo, MSc, PhD(c) . What made the experience meaningful was the opportunity to speak openly about lived experiences that are not unique to me, but shared by many student-migrants navigating academic, professional, and personal spaces simultaneously.