The Ancestors Dream Initiative was founded to ensure that no student-led program, tradition, or cultural space would disappear in the wake of defunding.
Our mission is clear: to provide grants and support to student groups impacted by legislative changes and university systems. the very programs that have long served as safe spaces for connection, leadership, and identity.
We are grounded in legacy and have experienced firsthand what it means to build community in the margins. From step shows to Black Student Assembly, gospel choir rehearsal and our beloved Institute of Black Culture, we carry the stories—and the responsibility—of what came before us.
Today, that legacy is at risk—not because students have stopped dreaming, but because the support structures behind those dreams have been stripped away.
This work is more than financial support. It’s about affirming the experiences of Black students on a campus that is changing rapidly. It’s about preserving legacy, fostering leadership, and making sure no student has to choose between cultural belonging and institutional acceptance.
ADI is not a reaction—it is a continuation. Of care. Of pride. Of everything that has made Black student life at UF not just visible—but vital.
