The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Foundation has pledged to give $5 million in scholarships for descendants of the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment, in which more than 600 Black men were infected with syphilis and did not receive treatment.

The Tuskegee study is one of the most well-known examples in U.S. history of the violation of medical ethics. Many descendants still live near Tuskegee and Macon County.

The increased scholarship program was announced Feb. 7 to support the the Voices For Our Fathers Legacy Foundation scholarships, an initiative by and for relatives of those who were violated in the experiment.

Eligible college students can apply for a scholarship through March 15, 2024, on the Voices for our Fathers website.

CDC Director Mandy Cohen said in a statement, “This scholarship is a step toward correcting an inexcusable violation of medical ethics. It seeks to uplift the descendants of the Untreated Syphilis Study at Tuskegee and takes steps toward rectifying a difficult part of our public health history.”

Voices For Our Fathers Legacy Foundation gave $11,000 in scholarships in 2023. The CDC Foundation support aims to increase the awards to $100,000 annually.

The CDC’s commitment to correcting the federal government’s involvement in the syphilis experiment comes after a previous philanthropic commitment by the Milbank Memorial Fund in 2022.

“Our partnership with Voices For Our Father Legacy Foundation following our apology for the Milbank Memorial Fund’s role in the study has underscored the importance of publicly recognizing past harms and working toward healing — and ultimately building trust in our health system and improving health outcomes for everyone,” said Milbank Memorial Fund President Christopher F. Koller in a statement. “We are gratified to see others join Voices in these efforts.”

At the conclusion of the syphilis study in 1972, 128 of the men died of syphilis or related complications, 40 wives were infected, and 19 children were born with congenital syphilis, according to the Equal Justice Initiative. The victims of the study were awarded a $10 million out-of-court settlement in 1974.

In 1997, President Bill Clinton issued a formal apology to the victims and descendants of the study.