The Lucas-Kennedy Foundation

Welcome to the
Lucas-Kennedy Foundation

The Founders’ Vision: Africare’s Story

Founded in Washington, D.C. in 2021, the Lucas-Kennedy Foundation for African Development is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization entrusted with carrying forward Africare’s remarkable legacy. With the blessing of the Lucas and Kennedy families, we are building on more than 50 years of transformative impact—igniting the next chapter of U.S.–Africa partnership, innovation, and hope.

50+

Years of African Development Legacy

$1B+

Humanitarian Assistance Delivered
(Meals served, Schools supported)

1,000+

African and African American leaders supported

Chairperson's Statement
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A New Chapter: A Call for Action

The Lucas-Kennedy Foundation has its roots in Africare, a transformational organization that improved countless lives and strengthened bonds between Africa and the United States. We honor that legacy not by idealizing the past, but by carrying its best values forward while learning from its shortcomings. Africare’s institutional chapter may have ended, but its commitment to service, partnership, and African-led development continues through the people it inspired and the work we now undertake together.

The Lucas-Kennedy Foundation’s North Star remains the aspiration that animated Africare at its best: bringing people together in service to Africa and the African diaspora. Since our 2025 conference at Bowie State University, the Foundation has translated that aspiration into meaningful progress. We launched an online mentoring program connecting accomplished Africare alumni with University of Maryland Eastern Shore students, each of whom will receive a $3,000 scholarship. We also established a strategic partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey to advance water security, environmental science, and sustainable natural-resource management in Africa.

Our progress extends beyond these initiatives. We are supporting Bowie State University’s proposed exhibition, What the Cloth Remembers: Healing, History, and African Textile Traditions, and advancing Creative Hands, Sustainable Hope, a cottage-industry initiative intended to provide sustainable support to orphanages in the Republic of Namibia. The Foundation has also strengthened its institutional foundation through registration in the U.S. System for Award Management (SAM) and listing on Benevity, creating new opportunities for federal partnerships, workplace giving, and corporate support.

We invite you to explore the Lucas-Kennedy Foundation’s redesigned website to learn more about this work, reconnect with the legacy that brought us together, and discover opportunities to contribute your knowledge, time, networks, and resources. Whether as a mentor, volunteer, partner, donor, advisor, or advocate, each of us has a role to play.

McDonald Homer, Ed.D.
Chairperson
Lucas-Kennedy Foundation for African Development

Our Africare Roots

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Africare Legacy Lives On

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The Lucas-Kennedy Foundation was established to preserve and build upon Africare’s legacy, creating a new path forward that honors the vision and leadership of those who came before us.

C. Payne Lucas Bio

Dr. Joseph C. Kennedy Bio

C. Payne Lucas and Dr. Joseph C. Kennedy

C. Payne Lucas and Dr. Joseph C. Kennedy were visionary leaders who championed African development by fostering American–African partnerships and creating pathways for the African Diaspora to thrive in international affairs. The Lucas-Kennedy Foundation carries this legacy forward.

Our Mission

The Lucas-Kennedy Foundation for African Development empowers diverse, visionary leaders and thriving communities across the United States and Africa by fostering global partnerships, and advancing education, commerce, health, and food security to promote shared prosperity, resilience, and lasting progress.

Our Vision

Development of Africa and The African Diaspora

What Makes Lucas-Kennedy Foundation Different

Trusted Legacy. Future-Driven Partnerships.

With deep expertise, proven results, and a unique position at the intersection of policy, business, and community development, we are a trusted partner in advancing U.S.–Africa cooperation.

A Living Legacy:

You’re not joining a new idea, you are part of a continuum that extends more than fifty years of African development impact.

Expertise in Place:

Our leadership includes dozens of professionals who once served with Africare, making us uniquely equipped to steward transition, continuity, and innovation.

Mission-Driven Impact:

Focused on sustainable development, leadership, and global cooperation.

Africare's Legacy in Motion:
A Visual Journey
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C. Payne Lucas and Dr. Joseph C. Kennedy were two giants in African development, co-founding Africare and shaping a model of American–African partnership that impacted millions of lives. Today, the Lucas-Kennedy Foundation carries their legacy forward, continuing the mission of fostering partnership, solidarity, and shared progress between Africa and the United States.

Serving Since 1971

Founded in 1971, Africare was a pioneering international development organization dedicated to improving quality of life across Africa. Born in response to the devastating Sahel drought, Africare championed a model of self-help and self-sufficiency, laying the foundation for resilience and progress that continues today.

The Work of C. Payne Lucas and Joseph C. Kennedy at Africare

In its early days, Africare sought strong technical and executive leadership. To meet this need, C. Payne Lucas—then Director of the Peace Corps Office of Returned Volunteers in Washington and a long-time associate of Niger’s president, was recruited with the support of President Diori and diplomat Oumarou Youssoufou. Joining him was Dr. Joseph C. Kennedy, former Peace Corps Director in Sierra Leone. Together, Lucas became Africare’s Executive Director while Dr. Kennedy served as International Executive Director, laying the foundation for Africare’s lasting impact.

Development Initiatives

What emerged was a transformative model that blended urgent humanitarian relief with long-term development centered entirely on Africa’s needs and leadership.

Africare's founding principles became its blueprint for impact:

Comprehensive Support: Expand beyond health to include agriculture, education, economic development, and crisis response.

Pan-African Reach: Serve not just Niger, but all African nations in need of support.

Locally Led: Empower Africans to lead their own development, ensuring solutions were relevant and sustainable.

Bridge of Trust: Act as a powerful conduit between Africans and Americans, fostering understanding, partnership, and shared progress.

Rooted in Urgency. Respected for Impact.

With a bold vision and unwavering mission, Africare ignited a global movement to support Africa during its time of greatest need. Rallying support from the U.S. government, civic organizations, and everyday citizens worldwide, the organization delivered life-saving food, water, shelter, and healthcare across the Sahel, helping to save millions of lives and rebuild entire communities.

At home in the United States, Africare quickly earned national respect. It became more than an aid organization, it was a powerful symbol of empowerment, known for “helping Africa help itself.” Africare reshaped how Americans, especially African Americans, viewed the continent, illuminating Africa’s resilience, richness, and rising potential for an entire generation.

Join us in shaping the next chapter of U.S.–Africa engagement

JOIN THE MOVEMENT SUPPORT NOW

Welcome to theLucas-Kennedy Foundation