Oracle reverses course, says it will fund scholarships for Black KC students
.JPG "Oracle’s offices in Kansas City at Interstate 435 and Bannister Road, located at the former site of Bannister Mall.")
Oracle, in effect, now says that their check was in the mail.
Less than a day after The Star on Thursday published a story relating how Oracle’s Kansas City office had committed to — and then backed out of — providing $10,000 in college scholarship money to five Black Kansas City high school seniors, the company emailed a statement:
“Oracle remains committed to funding the scholarship,” wrote Greg Lunsford, a spokesman for the software company, which in 2022 purchased Kansas City-based Cerner Corp. for $28 billion.
But if the suggestion is that there was a misunderstanding or miscommunication, The Urban League of Greater Kansas City’s President Gwendolyn Grant — whose organization was set to distribute five $2,000 scholarships — said there was none.
Her correspondence with Oracle, she said, clearly showed that the company in March reneged on a promise made more than six months prior, in September, to fund scholarships for the students. But “due to DEI,” referring to matters of racial “diversity, equity and inclusion” currently under attacked by the Trump administration, the company backed out.
“There was no misunderstanding,” Grant said Thursday afternoon. “(Oracle) is calling it a miscommunication. I don’t know what that means. There was no misunderstanding on my part. I didn’t misunderstand anything. . . .I didn’t get anything wrong.”
Urban League of Greater Kansas City
Grant said her documentation in the form of emails and texts speaks for itself.
Early Thursday, Grant as leader of the civil rights organization released both a statement and documents affirming that on Sept. 25, 2024, the Oracle office in Kansas City was committed to giving the Urban League $20,000.
The money included $10,000 to go to the college scholarships for Kansas City area STEM students, $5,000 to sponsor the league’s annual Difference Maker Award Luncheon held in March, and $5,000 to go to the group’s College Planning and Career Exposure Event.
The Urban League sent Oracle an invoice for the scholarships in September, more than six months ago.
It was not paid.
Grant said that as both the luncheon and high school graduations approached, she contacted Oracle regarding their agreement. On March 17, she was sent an email from her Oracle contact that said, “Oracle is currently reviewing all partnerships, and I have received notice that no additional financial commitments will be made or paid until further notice.”
The employee at Oracle later texted Grant and wrote, “They have canceled all sponsorships until further notice of review by the attorney’s due to DEI.”
Oracle response
The Star responded to Oracle Thursday, asking if the company was suggesting that the Urban League misunderstood Oracle’s commitment or was wrong in its conclusion that the company would not honor its obligation.
Oracle did not immediately respond.
Grant on Thursday said she was happy on behalf of the students and that Oracle acknowledged it would honor its commitments.
“I appreciate the fact that they’re trying to clean it up and (provide) the money for the kids. That was the ultimate thing,” she said. “But certainly it is not a miscommunication or misunderstanding on the Urban League’s part. That needs to be abundantly clear.
“I even pressed in a conversation, like, ‘Hey, I can get you not honoring the sponsorships for the luncheon or the other part, but the scholarship money? So you’re not going to give the scholarship money?’”
Oracle insisted it is.
Although, Grant said, currently the money is not in hand.
This story was originally published April 10, 2025 at 4:25 PM.
