The Kappa Scholarship Endowment Fund of Western PA (“KSEF”) was the brainchild of Mr. Thomas A. Motley, Sr., past Polemarch of the Pittsburgh Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. KSEF was created as the philanthropic arm of the Pittsburgh Alumni Chapter to offer financial assistance via scholarships and financial awards to support the needs of African American students at undergraduate and graduate levels. It received 501 (c) 3 status (a provision of the US Internal Revenue Code for non-profit organizations exempt from some federal income taxes) in July 1991. EIN number is 25-1672589 and United Way number is 4338. Earl F. Hord was appointed to chair KSEF’s formation committee and was likewise charged with the responsibility of filing the necessary application materials for its establishment. With the legal assistance of Attorney James E Ford, the infrastructure for KSEF was established in 1991.

KSEF has been the conduit in providing scholarship valued at over $4.5 million dollars to over 240 students since its inception. KSEF also provides mentoring services targeting African American men through its Kappa League Program. This is a mentoring program designed to work with Western PA based minority high school students (young men) with the goal of development of tangible and intangible skills needed to be successful upon completion of high school.

In 2018, KSEF expanded its mission with its “Healthy Kappa” initiative in promoting annual events throughout Western PA educating and encouraging weight loss, weight management, proper diet/nutrition and exposure to different forms of exercise.  KSEF serves as a focal point of financial and philanthropic resources to the African American community with particular emphasis on African American men, while assisting in making the Fraternity a more prominent force in the community. Since its inception, recipients of
scholarships and financial awards have excelled academically and continue to develop their skills to be competitive in the 21st century.

To further foster its mission to provide philanthropic support through academic scholarships to high school seniors, KSEF has partnered with Community College of Allegheny County, Duquesne University and Penn State University to target a broader pool of talented African American students. KSEF has likewise partnered with NEED to better leverage its scholarship dollars awarded to talented college-bound students. KSEF has launched several corporate partnership awards including the KSEF/Highmark-Aaron Walton Award, KSEF/UPMC Award and KSEF/Dollar Bank Award. These corporate backed awards are reflective of KSEF’s continuous success in identifying outstanding students from Western PA. In addition to the high school awards, KSEF offers the Marcus P Blakemore Undergraduate Award to talented undergraduate members of Kappa Alpha Psi in the Western Pennsylvania area.

KSEF is governed and managed by a volunteer group of officers and Board of Directors members that dedicate their personal time and resources to the mission of the organization. Under the current leadership of Howard A. Russell, Jr, (Board President) KSEF has established as a goal the continued endowment of financial capital that will allow KSEF to continue to provide scholarship assistance and other support services through perpetuity. As part of the endowed strategy, in 2024 KSEF will launch its naming rights for endowed scholarships which will allow individuals, corporations, etc.. to have financial awards in their name leaving a long-term legacy
of support of KSEF and its mission.