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The Barney Ford Diversity Scholarship

The Barney Ford Diversity Scholarship is dedicated to promoting diversity within the MBA program at the Leeds School of Business.

The scholarship is named for Barney L. Ford (1822-1902), a former enslaved person who became a leading Denver businessman. The annual Barney Ford Diversity Scholarship Fundraiser is our way of maintaining a tradition that serves to carry on his legacy and benefits a number of diverse Leeds MBA students every year.

Tickets will be available soon!

If you are unable to attend the fundraiser you can make a donation directly to the Scholarship Fund below.

The Barney Ford Diversity Scholarship is proud to partner with the Leeds MBA Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Committee and to introduce the Racial Equity #BeTheChange challenge during Black History Month. 

The Leeds MBA JEDI Committee invites you to participate in a racial equity habit-building challenge to celebrate Black History Month and support diversity and inclusive excellence at Leeds. The #BeTheChange Challenge includes daily engagement with music, articles, podcasts, and films to learn about current and historical issues of racial inequity and ways to be part of the solution. Please  and learn more on the Center for Inclusion and Social Change Website.

The 32nd Annual聽Barney Ford Diversity Scholarship Fundraiser

Date: March 7, 2025

Check-in time: 6:30pm for VIP; 7:00pm for GA

Opening remarks: 7:30pm

End time: 10pm

Location: TBD

Theme: Barney Ford

Dress: Cocktail attire welcome

Please note that this event is 21+ only

This year we are excited to again gather in person for the 32nd Annual Barney Ford Diversity Scholarship Fundraiser. The event, organized by current MBA students in support of future MBA students, brings together MBA students and alumni, faculty and staff, and friends of our programs鈥攁ll with the common goal of increasing scholarship funds for students and to improve diversity at Leeds.

All proceeds help fund student scholarships, with the overall goal of building diversity into the MBA program and contributing to the strong sense of community we work hard to achieve.

Important: CU 麻豆影院 is taking proactive actions to minimize opportunities for the transmission of COVID-19 within our community. Event-specific details will be shared at a later date. Please direct any questions to BarneyFordDiversity@colorado.edu.

Support The Fundraiser

Become a Sponsor (email BarneyFordDiversity@colorado.edu)                                     


Contact our team at BarneyFordDiversity@colorado.edu for more information on donating an item, service, or experience to be auctioned off, or to become a sponsor. 

This Year's Partners

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Barney Ford -聽The Man

A former enslaved person from South Carolina, Barney escaped at age seventeen, taught himself how to read and write and achieved great business success, becoming the most noted caterer and restaurateur in the Rocky Mountain region and Colorado鈥檚 most notable black businessman. Mr. Ford was also very active in civic and education causes.

More 麻豆影院 The Man

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