About Us

The Ezekiel Taylor Scholarship Foundation is a nonprofit organization positively impacting the lives of Black male students in the Chicago area.

Together, We Can Give Young Black Males a Brighter Future

The Ezekiel Taylor Scholarship Foundation (ETSF) is a nonprofit that provides college scholarships, mentorship and life skill programming to African-American male students from the Chicago area, impacted by gun violence, who attend, or seek to attend, an accredited college, university or trade school.

Mission

To ensure African-American men lead better lives and have opportunities for higher education.

Vision

To better strengthen the opportunity for growth of young African-American men in Chicago through education, exposure, mentorship and social/emotional support. Through the activities of the Ezekiel Taylor Scholarship Foundation, we provide college funding to support their education and provide life-skills to help them create a better life for themselves and the communities they live in.

Our Story

In 1982 Ezekiel Taylor was robbed and killed on the south side of Chicago. He was a 34-year-old husband, a father, a son, a brother, an uncle, a friend. His life was violently snatched by ruthless teenagers. The senseless gun violence that plagued Chicago 4 decades ago, continues to haunt the city today.

Ezekiel Taylor’s legacy lives on through his only child, Tenisha Taylor. Tenisha, a former CNN executive, is a graduate of St. Martin De Porres High School in Chicago. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Clark Atlanta University and a Master’s of Public Administration from Kennesaw State University. With a media career that spans more than 20 years, Tenisha now uses her influence to invest in youth development.

ETSF’s Impact to Date

175

Scholarships Awarded

35

Colleges & Universities Attended

$300,000

Scholarship Money Awarded

How We Work

Since 2016, we have focused on investing in our communities to lower the crime rate.

Higher Education

Our students attend colleges/universities across the country, in 19 states, including: IL, IN, MI, OH, NC, FL, CA, MA, WI, TN, GA, TX, NH, MA, NY, AL, LA VA and Washington, D.C.

Scholarships

Our renewable scholarships range from $1-3k per year, per student. More than 2 dozen young men have graduated college from our program since 2017.

Mentors

Each scholar is paired with a male mentor who help guides the scholars’ college and career path. The mentors commit to the student’s four-year matriculation through college.

Why You Should Care?

For many young African American boys in Chicago, gun violence is not something they see on the news, it’s something they live with. They have lost parents, siblings, relatives, classmates, or close friends.

The Ezekiel Taylor Scholarship Foundation exists to change that trajectory. By investing in education, mentorship, and life-skills development, we provide young men with the tools, guidance, and opportunities to build successful futures.

Your investment is MORE than a scholarship, it creates pathways to college and meaningful careers, and develops the next generation of leaders, professionals, and changemakers. When you invest in one young man, you strengthen an entire family, uplift a community, and help rewrite Chicago’s future. 

Chicago tracked double-digit decreases in homicides in 2025. While violent numbers are trending lower, it’s important to note:

  • For the first time this century, in 2025 Chicago experienced less than 2,000 shootings, a significant break from long-running trends which have seen the city regularly exceed 2,500 annual incidents. 
  • There were 416 homicides in 2025, the fewest since 2014, when there were 425. The previous low of 395 was recorded in 1965. 
  • Homicide victims in Chicago are disproportionately Black, with Black and Hispanic residents making up 95% of victims in recent years.
  • Patrick Sharkey, a sociologist who has long studied gun violence in Chicago, agrees that “investing in communities is the key to lowering crime.”

Leading the Team

Facing a problem as big as crime and violence in urban communities requires an incredible team. We’re grateful to have some of the most innovative and committed leaders guiding our efforts.

Our Founders

Tenisha Taylor and Velma Pate

Tenisha Taylor, the only daughter of Ezekiel Taylor, serves as Founder and CEO. Her mother, Velma Pate, leads day-to-day operations as Executive Director.

Board of Directors

With decades of experience and the robust resumes to prove it, these multi-talented professionals are helping improve Chicago’s communities one young scholar at a time.

Tenisha Taylor
President/CEO

Tenisha Taylor

Velma Pate
Executive Director

Velma Pate

Brenda Bryant
Treasurer

Brenda Bryant

Sandra Thomas
Program Development

Sandra Thomas

Dr. Yolanda Coleman
Board of Directors

Chief Nursing Officer

Weiss Memorial Hospital

Dr. Yolanda Coleman

Chief Nursing Officer

Anita Johnson
Board of Directors

Administrator Domestic & International Medical Students

American College of Surgeons

Anita Johnson

Administrator Domestic & International Medical Students

Kenneth Hughes, Jr.
Board of Directors

Commercial Relationship Manager

Fifth Third Bank

Kenneth Hughes, Jr.

Commercial Relationship Manager

Jacob Qualls
Board of Directors

Vice President of Consumer Goods

Formerly Genpact

Jacob Qualls

Vice President of Consumer Goods

Eric D. Tidwell, Esq.
Board of Directors

General Counsel

Martin Luther King, Jr. Estate

Eric D. Tidwell, Esq.

General Counsel

Jessica Thomas
Board of Directors

Project Engineer

Granite Construction

Jessica Thomas

Project Engineer

Clay Wallace
Board of Directors

Alumni Relations

University of Chicago

Clay Wallace

Alumni Relations

Natasha Martin
Board of Directors

Educator

Greenville School System

Natasha Martin

Educator

Ninette Martin
Board of Directors

Senior Consultant / Talent Acquisition

Ninette Martin

Senior Consultant / Talent Acquisition

Tracy Rawlings
Board of Directors

Executive Assistant to CEO

Kenvue

Tracy Rawlings

Executive Assistant to CEO

Muna Walker
Board of Directors

Chief of Staff

Metropolitan Peace Initiatives

Muna Walker

Chief of Staff

Lakesha Wilson Hill, CPA
Board of Directors

Chief Financial Officer

Riverspan Partners

Lakesha Wilson Hill, CPA

Chief Financial Officer

Partners and Sponsors

How You Can Help

Importance of Corporate Partnership

  • Corporations strive to be good global citizens, especially in the area of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI).
  • Companies that are good corporate citizens reap immense business benefits from their employees and the communities in which they thrive.
  • Partnership equips scholars with opportunity, scholarships, mentorship and life-skill programming
  • When the scholars succeed, their families succeed, crime rates decrease, college graduate rates increase and the workplace is populated with eligible candidates.

Ways you can support

  • Make a financial donation on our website
  • Become a corporate sponsor at our annual gala
  • Purchase a table or ticket to our annual gala
  • Sponsor a “Life Skill” workshop (quarterly programs)
  • Become a corporate sponsor
  • Volunteer to mentor (males only)
  • Become a board member
  • Serve on a committee
  • Follow on social media @EZTaylorFDN