The Alex Haley Scholarships are funded by the Alex Haley Endowment Fund, formerly known as the Geier Consent Decree Fund. The Consent Decree Fund provided $1.25 million to fund scholarships for African American students at UT’s campuses in Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Martin. With the termination of the consent decree, the State of Tennessee offered a matching program through which the state would partially match contributions to provide an endowment. The goal was to raise $675,000 with the State matching funds to bring the endowment to $1.25 million and for the endowment to grow to $3.4 million.
The annual Alex Haley Auction and Celebrity Golf Tournament (begun in 2003) is the principal fundraiser through which the UT Knoxville endowment is increased. The Black Millennium Focus Committee, in conjunction with the UT Development Office and the UT Athletics Department, holds the annual tournament.