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Help The Henrietta Lacks Foundation Erase Student Loan Debt

The mission of the Henrietta Lacks Foundation was inspired by a dream long held by Henrietta's daughter Deborah Lacks: She hoped the important contributions of her mother's cells, and the trauma their story caused for her family, would someday benefit future Lacks generations by giving them access to the education and health care they deserved.  She also hoped it would benefit other families who had suffered as a result of historically important research conducted without their knowledge or consent. 

Since its founding in 2010, The Henrietta Lacks Foundation has done precisely that. We have given nearly 90 grants to members of Henrietta Lacks's family for education, healthcare, and other emergency needs. Henrietta's descendants are currently attending colleges -- including Howard University and North Carolina AT&T -- with full tuition and living expenses paid for by the Foundation. We have also given education grants to descendants of the Tuskegee Syphilis Studies men, and the Holmesburg Prison men. But we still have much work to do: Lacks family members alone currently owe over $450,000 in student loan debt that was accumulated in the years before the foundation's inception and growth. 

In 2021, in honor of what would have been Deborah Lacks's 72nd birthday, we launched a fundraising effort to erase that student loan debt for our grantees, and you can help! 100% of your tax deductible gift to the Foundation will go straight to paying off loans to qualifying grant seekers.* Help us end this burden by giving today!

Thank you gifts for giving at higher levels:


  • Give at the $1000+ level and receive a copy of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks autographed by Rebecca Skloot and an invitation to a private Zoom discussion with Shirley Lacks, Jeri Lacks-Whye, and Rebecca Skloot on April 23rd at 4pm pacific time. 

  • Give at the $500+ level and receive an invitation to a private Zoom discussion with Shirley Lacks, Jeri Lacks-Whye, and Rebecca Skloot on April 23rd at 4pm pacific time. 


* 100% of donations over our goal beyond grantees' needs for student loan repayment will be given to grantees for current educational expenses (including tuition, room, board, and books).

When you opt to cover the small processing fee at check out, your full donation goes to this campaign, otherwise Snowball deducts that fee from your donation.

If you are donating from outside the U.S., please use our Foundation donation page (which uses PayPal) to make your donation and send an email to the foundation to confirm that your donation is for this campaign.  Email is info@henriettalacksfoundation.org.

The Henrietta Lacks Foundation (Tax ID 27-1781502), Inc. is a public charity that is exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. 

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Help The Henrietta Lacks Foundation Erase Student Loan Debt

The mission of the Henrietta Lacks Foundation was inspired by a dream long held by Henrietta's daughter Deborah Lacks: She hoped the important contributions of her mother's cells, and the trauma their story caused for her family, would someday benefit future Lacks generations by giving them access to the education and health care they deserved.  She also hoped it would benefit other families who had suffered as a result of historically important research conducted without their knowledge or consent. 

Since its founding in 2010, The Henrietta Lacks Foundation has done precisely that. We have given nearly 90 grants to members of Henrietta Lacks's family for education, healthcare, and other emergency needs. Henrietta's descendants are currently attending colleges -- including Howard University and North Carolina AT&T -- with full tuition and living expenses paid for by the Foundation. We have also given education grants to descendants of the Tuskegee Syphilis Studies men, and the Holmesburg Prison men. But we still have much work to do: Lacks family members alone currently owe over $450,000 in student loan debt that was accumulated in the years before the foundation's inception and growth. 

In 2021, in honor of what would have been Deborah Lacks's 72nd birthday, we launched a fundraising effort to erase that student loan debt for our grantees, and you can help! 100% of your tax deductible gift to the Foundation will go straight to paying off loans to qualifying grant seekers.* Help us end this burden by giving today!

Thank you gifts for giving at higher levels:


  • Give at the $1000+ level and receive a copy of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks autographed by Rebecca Skloot and an invitation to a private Zoom discussion with Shirley Lacks, Jeri Lacks-Whye, and Rebecca Skloot on April 23rd at 4pm pacific time. 

  • Give at the $500+ level and receive an invitation to a private Zoom discussion with Shirley Lacks, Jeri Lacks-Whye, and Rebecca Skloot on April 23rd at 4pm pacific time. 


* 100% of donations over our goal beyond grantees' needs for student loan repayment will be given to grantees for current educational expenses (including tuition, room, board, and books).

When you opt to cover the small processing fee at check out, your full donation goes to this campaign, otherwise Snowball deducts that fee from your donation.

If you are donating from outside the U.S., please use our Foundation donation page (which uses PayPal) to make your donation and send an email to the foundation to confirm that your donation is for this campaign.  Email is info@henriettalacksfoundation.org.

The Henrietta Lacks Foundation (Tax ID 27-1781502), Inc. is a public charity that is exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. 

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