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.
Elizabeth City State Univerity, a historically Black educational institution in North Carolina, received a $125,000 grant from the Governor’s Crime Commission to support efforts to create a resource center to better educate the campus on issues surrounding sexual violence. The grant will assist the university in creating a resource center that will provide a safe haven for victims, a victim advocate, identify resources on and off campus, and court assistance.
Historically Black Florida A&M University received a $1 million grant from Bank of America to help students of color successfully complete the education and training necessary to enter the workforce and embark on a path to success in Tallahassee. The university will enhance existing programs to meet specific skills gaps to create opportunities for students to pursue high-paying, family-sustaining jobs that are in demand.
Six universities are sharing $21 million in grant funding from the National Institutes of Health to study racial and ethnic disparities in pregnancy-related complications and deaths. Black women under 20 are 1.5 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than are White women in the same age group, but Black women ages 30-34 are 4.3 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than are White women ages 30-34. The universities participating in the research are Tufts University in Massachusetts, the University of South Carolina, the University of Pennsylvania, Emory University in Atlanta, Michigan State University, and the University of Pittsburgh.
Historically Black North Carolina A&T State University received a $5 million grant from Walmart that will provide scholarships for African American students in business and engineering discipline and provide leadership training and funds for student support services. The Equity in Education Initiative will also provide funds to improve retention, graduation rates, and overall academic achievement among Black male students.
