The Sonja Haynes Stone Center

What The Sonja Haynes Stone Center does

The Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Research in Black Culture and History is an academic and cultural center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, established in 1988 (originally as the Black Cultural Center) and renamed in honor of Dr. Sonja Haynes Stone following her 1991 death. Operating under UNC's Office of the Provost, it serves a university-wide mandate to acquire, analyze, and disseminate information through education, with programming organized into three pillars: Arts & Culture (exhibitions in the Robert and Sallie Brown Gallery, the annual Diaspora Festival of Black and Independent Film, the Pamela Nicole Cummings Visiting Artist Fellowship, and Faculty Art grants up to $4,000), Research & Scholarship (the Moore Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program, the Visiting Scholar Program, the African Diaspora Lecture Series, the Okun Collegiums, the SLATE curriculum initiative, and the Sean Douglas Leadership Fellowship), and Outreach & Service (the Communiversity Youth Program for K-12 youth and the Building Bonds, Breaking B.A.R.S. mentorship initiative). In 2022, the Institute of African American Research (IAAR, founded 1995) was administratively merged into the Stone Center, consolidating UNC's Black studies research capacity.

The Center does not operate proprietary technology platforms; its digital infrastructure consists of a website, YouTube and Vimeo video archives, the Stone Written Podcast, and Zoom for virtual programming. Its scale includes 350+ public events annually, 30,000+ unique visitors, 15,000 students served, 661 MURAP fellows from 72 universities since 1989, and 328 UNC faculty mentors. The business model is non-commercial: most events, exhibitions, and programs are free and open to the public, with revenue derived from UNC institutional allocations (Office of the Provost), private donations through GiveUNC, and foundation grants (notably a $180,000 Burroughs Wellcome Fund Student STEM Enrichment Program grant for the Communiversity Youth Program and historical Andrew W. Mellon Foundation support for MURAP). The Center employs approximately 9 staff and is led by Director Dr. Rhon Manigault-Bryant (appointed 2023, fourth director in the Center's history).

Name

The Sonja Haynes Stone Center

Legal name

The Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Research in Black Culture and History

Website

https://stonecenter.unc.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Research in Black Culture and History is a UNC-Chapel Hill academic and cultural center (under the Office of the Provost) that advances research, education, and community engagement on Black culture and history through fellowships, lectures, exhibitions, the annual Diaspora Film Festival, and the Communiversity K-12 Youth Program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chapel Hill

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. University Funding: As a Center under the Office of the Provost at UNC-Chapel Hill, the Stone Center receives institutional funding as part of the university's budget allocation.
2. Private Donations and Philanthropy: The Center accepts charitable contributions from alumni, friends, faculty/staff, and supporters through GiveUNC (Carolina's university-wide day of giving) and other giving campaigns. Donations support fellowships, exhibitions, and programs.
3. Foundation Grants: The Center receives grant funding from foundations such as Burroughs Wellcome Fund ($180,000 for Student STEM Enrichment Program) and has received historical support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for MURAP.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Sonja Haynes Stone Center is a university-wide academic and cultural center at UNC-Chapel Hill that advances research, education, and community engagement focused on African American and African diaspora culture and history. Its offerings include undergraduate research apprenticeships, fellowships for students and scholars, visiting artist programs, signature lectures, an annual diaspora film festival, gallery exhibitions, a K-12 youth outreach program, and a podcast. Most programs and events are free and open to the public.

Product overview

The Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Research in Black Culture and History is an academic and cultural center at UNC-Chapel Hill that offers an integrated portfolio of educational programs, research initiatives, community outreach, and cultural programming. The Center's offerings span: research programs including IAAR and MURAP (undergraduate research apprenticeship); fellowship programs (UISF, Sean Douglas Leadership, Cummings Visiting Artist, Okun Collegiums); signature lectures and the annual Stone Memorial Lecture; the SLATE education initiative; outreach through the Communiversity Youth Program and Building Bonds, Breaking B.A.R.S.; cultural programming including the Diaspora Film Festival and gallery exhibitions; and the Stone Written Podcast. Rather than a commercial product platform, the Center functions as a unified cultural institution with interconnected programs unified by their focus on Black culture and history research, education, and community engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Diaspora Festival of Black and Independent Film Annual film festival celebrating and promoting works of Black and independent filmmakers, featuring documentaries, narrative features, short films, and experimental projects from across the African diaspora. Film festival archives date to 2003.
• Pamela Nicole Cummings Visiting Artist Fellowship Fellowship supporting young, rising artists at the beginning of their professional careers, enabling short-term residencies for a range of creative projects.
• Faculty Arts, Culture, and Creativity Grants Grants of up to $4,000 for UNC-Chapel Hill faculty supporting innovative artistic projects in African American and diaspora arts and culture.
• African Diaspora Lecture Series Presents lectures, roundtables, and debates on African diaspora subjects, allowing UNC-Chapel Hill faculty, students, and community to critically analyze African-American and African diaspora cultures.
• Institute for African American Research (IAAR) Research unit fostering scholarly inquiry about Black experiences in North Carolina, the US, and the world; merged into the Stone Center in fall 2022 with scholarly focus folded into Center initiatives.
• Moore Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (MURAP) Paid 10-week summer fellowship designed to foster entrance of talented students into graduate programs in humanities, social sciences, and fine arts; hosted at UNC-Chapel Hill since 1989.
• Okun Collegiums Supports joint research/study projects by faculty and students on various topics in Africana studies, with collaborative work from interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary perspectives.
• Sean Douglas Leadership Fellowship Semester-long paid fellowship for undergraduate students providing professional development experience through internships with the Stone Center director; led by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and the Douglas family.
• Student Learning to Advance Truth and Education (SLATE) Five-year initiative (2020-2025) designed to engage undergraduates in transformative learning about economic, social, and historic driving forces through evidence-based, interdisciplinary, and community-engaged pedagogy.
• Sonja Haynes Stone Memorial Lecture The signature annual program of the Center bringing a woman lecturer to campus whose work, scholarship, and service epitomize the vision and spirit of Dr. Sonja Haynes Stone.
• Undergraduate International Studies Fellowship (UISF) Awards up to $2,500 for undergraduate students to support academic research or study in international settings, encouraging study in Africa or African diaspora countries.
• Visiting Scholar Program Supports short-term residency by scholars from throughout the diaspora to undertake research or other projects of their choice.
• Communiversity Youth Program (CYP) K-12 youth outreach program connecting young people with the UNC campus and local communities through service-learning, cultural literacy, leadership development, and STEM-based learning; partnered with Chapel Hill-Carrboro school system.
• Building Bonds, Breaking B.A.R.S. Student organization allowing UNC undergraduates to mentor students at C.A. Dillon Youth Development Center while conducting campus programming to raise awareness about African-American males in the juvenile justice system.
• Robert and Sallie Brown Gallery Gallery space at the Stone Center hosting rotating art exhibitions featuring works by artists engaging with African American and African diaspora themes.
• Stone Written Podcast Podcast hosted by Dr. Rhon Manigault-Bryant exploring the rich tapestry of Black experience through educational content.

Quantifiable outcome

• 350+ public events annually
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and flagship.

• The Engineering Place at NC State's College of EngineeringminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partner providing electrical engineering activities and circuit-building sessions for Communiversity scholars.
• Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 August 2019Fraternity that co-leads the Sean Douglas Leadership Fellowship initiative, memorializing Sean Douglas, U.S. Army veteran, aviator, and community leader.
• American Indian CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 July 2019Co-sponsor of the 1619 Collective Memory(ies) Project, bringing together diverse perspectives including Native/Indigenous Americans, African Americans, Africans, Europeans, and White Americans for conversations on the 400th anniversary of 1619.
• Carolina Black CaucuscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 July 2019Co-sponsor of the 1619 Collective Memory(ies) Project, contributing to interdisciplinary collaboration on campus.
• Carolina Public HumanitiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 July 2019Co-sponsor of the 1619 Collective Memory(ies) Project, supporting humanities programming and public engagement.
• Center for African StudiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 July 2019Co-sponsor of the 1619 Collective Memory(ies) Project at UNC.
• Center for Civil RightscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 July 2019Co-sponsor of the 1619 Collective Memory(ies) Project, contributing legal and civil rights perspectives.
• Center for the Study of the American SouthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 July 2019Co-sponsor of the 1619 Collective Memory(ies) Project, providing Southern studies expertise.
• Chapel Hill Public LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 July 2019Partner in the 1619 Collective Memory(ies) Project, hosting the 1619: First Arrival of Africans exhibition panels from Hampton History Museum.
• Department of African, African American, and Diaspora StudiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 July 2019Key academic department partner for the 1619 Collective Memory(ies) Project, providing scholarly expertise in Black studies.
• Hampton History MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 July 2019Provided the 1619: First Arrival of Africans exhibition panels for display at Chapel Hill Public Library.
• Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of CharlestoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 July 2019Partner organization for the DO or DIE: Affect, Ritual, Resistance exhibition by Fahamu Pecou, organized in collaboration with the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University.
• Institute for the Arts and HumanitiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 July 2019Co-sponsor of the 1619 Collective Memory(ies) Project at UNC.
• Office of the Provost (UNC)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 July 2019The Stone Center operates under the Office of the Provost as a university-wide center with mandate to acquire, analyze, and disseminate information through education.
• Orange County Community Remembrance Coalition (OCCRC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 July 2019Co-sponsor of the 1619 Collective Memory(ies) Project, supporting community remembrance and education efforts.
• Stanford L. Warren Branch Library (Durham County Library)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 25 July 2019Community co-sponsor for the 2019 Diaspora Festival of Black and Independent Film, hosting screenings at the Durham location.
• Varsity TheatercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 25 July 2019Community screening venue for the 2019 Diaspora Festival of Black and Independent Film in Chapel Hill.
• NC Central UniversitycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 25 July 2019Community screening venue for the 2019 Diaspora Festival of Black and Independent Film in Durham.
• Bull's Head BookshopcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 25 July 2019Partner venue for the Author Discussion Series, hosting book talks and author presentations on the 3rd floor at 207 South Road.
• University United Methodist ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 July 2019Community partner for the Communiversity Youth Program (CYP), providing programming space at 150 E. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC.
• Chapel Hill-Carrboro School SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 July 2019Educational partnership for the Communiversity Youth Program, working with local K-12 schools to improve student performance through alternative teaching methods.
• Perkins+Will (Durham)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Provided technical support for the Phil Freelon exhibition through Anna Marich, Communications Director at the Durham office.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Department of African American Studies at Yale University: Yale's academic department and research hub for African American studies, offering fellowships, lectures, and undergraduate research. Comparable as a R1-university center combining scholarly research with public-facing programming.
• Carter G. Woodson Institute for African-American and African Studies: University of Virginia's interdisciplinary research institute focused on African American and African diaspora studies. Directly comparable as a university-based research institute supporting fellows, visiting scholars, and public programming in Black studies.
• Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture: New York Public Library's research center and museum dedicated to Black culture globally. Highly comparable mission (research, exhibitions, fellowships, public programs in Black culture and history) but operates at much larger scale as an independent research library rather than a university center.
• Hutchins Center for African & African American Research: Harvard's flagship university-based center for African American research, scholarship, and public programming. Directly comparable as a provost-level research and cultural center housed within a major R1 university, running lecture series, fellowships, and artist residencies focused on Black studies.
• Center for Black Studies Research at UC Santa Barbara: UCSB's interdisciplinary research center supporting scholarship on the Black experience through fellowships, lectures, and publications. Comparable as a university-based research center advancing African American and African diaspora studies.
• Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America (Brown University): Brown University's research center studying race, ethnicity, and Black culture in America. Comparable as a university-based center supporting faculty research, fellowships, and public scholarship on African American experiences.
• Center for African American Studies at Princeton University: Princeton's interdisciplinary research and teaching center on African American studies. Comparable as a university-based center combining research, fellowships, lectures, and community engagement with a humanities focus on the African diaspora.

Broad incumbents

• National Museum of African American History and Culture: Smithsonian's national museum dedicated to African American life, history, and culture. Comparable in mission of preserving and presenting Black history and culture, but operates as a federal museum at vastly larger scale than a university center.
• Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History: Detroit-based museum of African American history operating exhibitions, educational programming, and community events. Comparable in mission around preserving Black history and culture, though functions as an independent museum rather than a university center.

Regional players

• Center for Race and Ethnic Studies at Duke University: Duke University's center for scholarship on race and ethnicity, including Black studies. Closely comparable in academic mission and geographic proximity to UNC-Chapel Hill, though operating at a different institution within the Research Triangle.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@StoneCenterUNC/videos
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-sonja-haynes-stone-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Sonja Haynes Stone Center