Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA)

Spectator SportsNorth Carolina, United States11-50 Employees

The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) is a spectator sports conference founded in 1912 as the Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association, making it the oldest African-American athletic conference in the United States. It brings together historically Black colleges and universities along the east coast, from Pennsylvania to South Carolina, comprising both private and public institutions, and includes members such as Bowie State University, Claflin University, Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University, Johnson C. Smith University, Livingstone College, Shaw University, Virginia State University, Virginia Union University, Winston-Salem State University, St. Augustine's University, Chowan University (football), Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, and others. The conference is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, operates as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) entity, and is governed by the presidents and chancellors of its member institutions. 

CIAA activities center on coordinating intercollegiate competition and related programs for member schools, providing governance, and recognizing achievement in academics, athletics, leadership, and service through events such as championships and awards luncheons. In 2026 it continued these activities with events including the CIAA Membership Awards Luncheon and the announcement of brackets for the 2026 Food Lion CIAA Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament in Baltimore, Maryland.

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