Here is this week’s news of grants or gifts to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.
Historically Black LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis received a $40 million endowment from the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis. This beneficial gift allows unrestricted use of the funds for purposes determined by LeMoyne-Owen College. The money will be distributed to LeMoyne-Owen College annually in an amount equal to 5 percent of the average balance of the fund. Annual distributions will be made as long as the college maintains its active nonprofit status and continues to perform its mission as publicly stated.
Eight historically Black colleges and universities in South Carolina are sharing $2.4 million in funding from the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund. The funds will be used to update technology and buy software for online learning. The HBCUs receiving funding are:
South Carolina State University, $632,397
Denmark Technical College, $119,174
Allen University, $217,527
Benedict College, $547,539
Claflin University, $546,023
Clinton College, $53,493
Morris College, $166,048
Voorhees College, $141,195
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore, a historically Black educational institution in Princess Anne, received a $1.6 million grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture to fund research of the university’s new Center of Excellence for International Engagement and Development.
Historically Black North Carolina A&T State University received a five-year, a $3.25 million award from the Health Resources and Services Administration. The grant will fund scholarships for students in the university’s School of Nursing. The award is expected to provide full scholarships to 25 eligible full-time juniors and seniors in the School of Nursing. The grant program is under the direction of Lenora Campbell, dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences at the university.
Elizabeth City State University, a historically Black educational institution in North Carolina, has received a $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to train science teachers who are better equipped to teach topics such as climate change and evolution. The program is under the direction of Timothy Goodale, an associate professor of education.
Historically Black Florida A&M University has been awarded a $350,000 National Science Foundation grant to study extremely tiny semiconductor structures known as nanostructures, which are expected to function as components of spintronics, the next generation of electronics. The grant is under the director of physics professor Mogus D. Mochena.
The Thurgood Marshall College Fund received a $100,000 grant from the Vanguard Group, a money management firm based in Malvern, Pennsylvania, to ensure that students and faculty at member institutions have access to tuition assistance, mental health support, and virtual learning tools. In addition, five HBCUs that were hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, received $50,000 each. They are: Delaware State University, Florida A&M University, Hampton University, Howard University, and North Carolina A&T State University.
