DATABASE: HBCUs Received More Than $64 Million In Gifts And Grants In January

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KEY INSIGHTS

  • At least 40 grants or gifts were announced, ranging from $10,000 to $28.2 million.
  • Fifteen HBCUs were also recipients of a total $3 million in grants for agri-tech and arts ventures from the Propel Center.
  • A new $2.5 million initiative supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was also announced in January. 

A new analysis by The Plug found that HBCUs received at least $64.9 million in grants and gifts in January. The money will be put towards a new fitness center, agri-tech research, restoring an old chapel and much more.

In the last month, at least 40 grants or gifts were announced, ranging from $10,000 to $28.2 million, with the largest grant going to Winston-Salem State University. The school was awarded a multi-million, seven-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education to help prepare students starting in middle school for post-secondary education.

Fifteen HBCUs were also recipients of a total $3 million in grants for agri-tech and arts ventures from the Propel Center, an initiative backed by Apple to train HBCU students for the innovation economy. Some of the schools include Alabama State University, Benedict College, Bishop State Community College, Morehouse School of Medicine and Wiley College.

In late January, Virginia State University announced that along with five other HBCUs, it was part of a $2.5 million initiative supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation focused on building digital tools to promote learning and support student success. 

HBCUs also received grants from the National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities. Seven schools, including the University of the Virgin Islands, Howard University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina Central University, Oakwood University, Saint Augustine’s University, Southern University at New Orleans and Tuskegee University, received a total of more than $1 million from the two government organizations for a variety of arts-related projects. 

Other grants or gifts include:

  • Alabama State University received a $50,000 donation from Alabama Power Company that will be split evenly between ASU’s Department of Social Work and women’s athletics. 
  • Central State University received a $10,000,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to research how hemp may address food sustainability issues.
  • Edward Waters University received $500,000 from the City of Jacksonville for a campus fitness center that will be free to the public. 
  • Florida Memorial University received $50,000 from the City of Miami for a new Cyber Innovation Hub.
  • Harris-Stowe State University received a $450,000 donation from PNC Bank for entrepreneurship education and resources. 
  • Morgan State University received a $500,000 grant from the National Park Service to restore the University Memorial Chapel.
  • North Carolina Central University received a $500,000 gift from an alumna trustee and her family to name the accounting program in the School of Business.
  • Tennessee State University received a $284,000 grant from the Tennessee Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities to prepare young adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities for jobs.
  • West Virginia State University received a $300,000 grant from the State Department of Health and Human Resources for addressing Covid disparities in rural parts of the state.

See the full database of January HBCU funding announcements below:

Mirtha Donastorg

Mirtha Donastorg is a corps member with Report for America and The Plug's HBCU Innovation Editor and Senior Reporter, exploring start-up initiatives and innovations coming from Historically Black Colleges and Universities, as well as the way students are shaping the future of tech. She previously worked as an associate producer and a researcher for CNN.
Contact: mirtha@tpinsights.com