The MMUF program began with eight participating members in 1988 and has grown to its current membership of 35 colleges and universities, plus the 39 UNCF member institutions. 

Faculty members and/or academic administrators coordinate the campus-based programs.  A director administers the UNCF project with the assistance of a five-person advisory board.  Undergraduates are typically identified in the sophomore year and funded through the junior and senior years.  Fellows with demonstrated academic ability and aspiration to pursue a doctorate degree are selected according to their research interest in specified fields, with recommendations from faculty, staff and administrators.  The fellowship provides students with many forms of support, including structured programming, faculty mentoring, term-time stipend for research activities, support for summer research, and repayment of undergraduate loans of up to $10,000 provided that the student pursues a doctoral study in specified fields. 

Although program structures vary from institution to institution, they follow a common set of general guidelines, specifically, selection criteria.  It is expected that each academic year fellows will meet together regularly with scheduled forums, colloquia, and social opportunities for students and mentors to mix and mingle.  Activities that help students to understand the academic environment and culture, and provide opportunities for them to develop their intellectual and social skills are important for success in higher education careers.  Cohort development in the form of occasions for students to share their aspirations and scholarship with each other and wider communities is one of the key factors of MMUF’s success.  The Foundation strongly encourages regional meetings for undergraduate fellows and institutional reunions for MMUF alumni as ways to keep students connected, motivated, and on track.  MMUF’s success is a synergy of commitment and effort among students, faculty, mentors, and coordinators working together to change and diversify teaching and scholarship in higher education.

The Foundation also supports post-collegiate programs that complement and sustain the undergraduate initiative, and aid in the retention and persistence of graduate fellows.  Graduate students at the early stages of the PhD are eligible to participate in the Predoctoral Grant Program and to attend the Annual Graduate Student and Post-Doctoral Summer Conference.  Advanced graduate students may apply for competitive Dissertation Grants, and Travel & Research Grants to aid in the completion of the PhD.