JLL has launched a permanently endowed fund with an initial investment of $25,000 to support the education of Florida A&M University (FAMU) students interested in pursuing careers in commercial real estate.

Located in Tallahassee, FAMU is the highest-ranked public historically black college and university (HBCU) in the country and the only public historically black university in Florida.

The endowment aims to make transaction roles more accessible to new, early-career women and underrepresented brokers deterred from the industry’s commission-oriented structure.

“One way our industry can improve workforce diversity is to break down financial barriers preventing someone from pursuing a commercial real estate career,” said LaShawn Bates, senior vice president of market operations in Florida. “Our goal is to provide FAMU students with greater early career support as they get started in the industry, and we hope our relationship with FAMU and this fund wi