Steve Bisciotti’s foundation is putting another major bet on Baltimore students, this time with Morgan State University squarely in the spotlight.
The Bisciotti Family Foundation, led by the Baltimore Ravens majority owner, announced Wednesday that it will commit $3 million in scholarships for Baltimore City Public Schools graduates who enroll at Morgan State. The money extends the Ozzie Newsome Scholars program, which is named for the former Ravens general manager and Pro Football Hall of Famer.
When the program launched in 2021, Bisciotti’s foundation set aside $1 million for student scholarships at Maryland’s four historically Black universities, aimed at graduates of city high schools. Now the effort is being narrowed to Morgan State, according to the announcement.
The new grant runs eight years, from 2026 through 2033, and will create 40 new Ozzie Newsome Scholars at the Northeast Baltimore HBCU. Ten students from each of the next four incoming classes will receive $15,000 a year for up to five years, which could total as much as $75,000 per scholar.
Those dollars can go toward tuition, fees, books, technical equipment, room and board, transportation or other personal expenses. For comparison, Morgan State lists in-state tuition plus room and board at $34,396 this fall.
“Since its inception, the Ozzie Newsome Scholars Program has been about more than financial support,” said Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti in a statement. “We are proud of what these scholars have achieved and confident that Morgan State University will remain an exceptional partner in helping future scholars earn their degrees and impact Baltimore and beyond.”
The scholarship announcement lands at a moment when Morgan State is still expanding fast. Maryland’s largest historically Black university has now posted five straight years of enrollment growth and set an all-time high in the 2025-26 academic year with 11,559 students. Last spring, the school had to secure additional dorm space to handle the surge.
Morgan has also been on a fundraising tear. Last fall, the university landed its biggest gift ever - $63 million from billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott - pushing her total investment in the school past $100 million.
To be eligible for the renewed scholarship program, students must qualify for a Pell Grant, graduate from a Baltimore City public school or an approved independent school, start college in the fall immediately after high school and join the CollegeBound Foundation’s College Completion Program.
“Access to higher education should never depend on whether a promising Baltimore student can overcome every financial barrier alone,” said David Wilson, Morgan State’s president. “This renewed commitment will change the trajectory not only of individual scholars, but also of their families, their communities and the city we proudly call home.”
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