Sept. 16, 2026, 5:10 a.m. ET
Congressional Black Caucus week is underway in Washington, and an independent philanthropic arm of the House faction is celebrating 50 years ahead of November’s midterm elections.
The CBC Foundation’s five-day 55th Annual Legislative Conference commences Sept. 16 to commemorate five decades of the charitable organization.
Nicole Austin-Hillery, CEO and president of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, said the 2026 edition will help develop shared strategic goals as a community. The foundation says it works through three pillars: building future leaders through scholarships and internships, creating strategy, and conducting policy analysis and research.
“We believe that our purpose and our focus is grounded in the now,” Hillery told USA TODAY. “And that’s how we are going into this annual conference, making sure that we are reaffirming the focus and the purpose.”
Participants for the CBC Foundation’s annual conference, which includes more than 200 forums, arrive in Washington to discuss the priorities of Black life in America during a complex time in national politics. The foundation was sued earlier this year by an anti-affirmative action group that alleged that Black Caucus scholarships discriminate based on race.
Some Black leaders are also grappling with the erosion of a key provision in the Voting Rights Act as a record number of Black bipartisan nominees run for governor, two years after former Vice President Kamala Harris lost the 2024 race to President Donald Trump.
CBC has courted controversy, criticism
The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation was founded in 1976 by members of the Congressional Black Caucus, which was created in 1971 to help advance political participation for Black Americans.
The CBC is the only Black caucus in Congress. Essence magazine reported that the CBC reached a membership record in January last year, with 67 members. All of its members are Democrats.
Though the CBC Foundation operates separately from the caucus, the group of Black House members have, at times, become the source of criticism and controversy.
CBC members are typically older and many die in office. For example, California Rep. Maxine Waters, the oldest woman in Congress, is 88, while Rep. David Scott, before his death in April, was criticized for refusing to step down despite primary opponents’ concerns over his health.
The CBC has also waded into intra-party primaries. In Illinois, the caucus endorsed outgoing Rep. Robin Kelly over Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, a fellow Black woman, in a Democratic Senate primary, before Kelly ultimately placed third in the race.
Their fundraising arm also endorsed Haley Stevens over Abdul El-Sayed in the Michigan Senate primary. An Axios report last month chronicled how progressive incoming House members may face difficulty entering the caucus if they do not support House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries for speaker. No Black Republican currently serving in the House is a member – although former Utah Rep. Mia Love made headlines when she joined the CBC.
Congressional Black Caucus Foundation celebrates 50 years
The nonprofit started as a nonpartisan group for policy research but has grown into a D.C. power player. The CBCF is known in select circles for its Annual Legislative Conference, traditionally held as summer comes to a close.
Hillery said that the CBC Foundation lawmakers stand “shoulder to shoulder” with participants, with “no wall between them.” The foundation also hosts the annual Phoenix Awards, a dinner held during CBC Week that honors those viewed as stakeholders by the foundation.
Past award recipients include former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Tennessee state Rep. Justin Jones. Obama delivered seven Phoenix keynote addresses during his presidency.
‘Flooding our communities with these young leaders’
Hillery said the future of the foundation over the next 50 years is about building leaders. For more than three decades, the group has partnered with CBC Spouses to extend over 300 scholarships to students across the U.S.
“My goal is to ensure that we have leaders prepared to go into every system that undergirds this country,” Hillery said, referring to industries from politics and philanthropy to civil rights and business. She added, “We want to make sure that we are flooding our communities with these young leaders.”
Notably, the conference kicks off less than two months from the midterm elections on Nov. 3.
“Our directive to our attendees is to take the information that you are gathering at the conference, take it back to your communities, take it back to your churches, take it back to your civic associations,” Hillery said.
Across the nation, organizers are prepping for the upcoming election season and the next presidential contest in 2028.
“I think people are tired of feeling as though this country is not being true to its promises, which is to ensure equal justice for all, liberty for all, and so people are fired up and people are saying, ‘Let’s come together,'” Hillery said.
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