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.
West Virginia State University has received a $250,000 grant from the Kanawha County Commission to fund construction of a new track and field athletic facility. With a new upgraded space, the HBCU hopes to recruit more track and field student-athletes and host large events on campus. The facility will be open for public use as well.
Clark Atlanta University has been awarded an $11 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities to support the HBCU’s Center for Cancer Research and Therapeutic Development. The grant will be used to expand the center’s prostate cancer research and educational program, which aims to eradicate health disparities in prostate cancer in the Black community.
South Carolina State University, a historically Black educational institution, has received a $1,985,515 grant from the United States Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to implement the Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation program on campus. The program leverages virtual reality to educate and advocate for safety in operating commercial motor vehicles.
The College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at North Carolina A&T State University has received a new grant from the United States Department of Agriculture to develop the the first academic course about chocolate at a historically Black college or university. Beginning in the fall 2025 semester, the class will cover the history, origin, and chemistry of cocoa plants, as well as how chocolate is processed.
A project led by scholars at Rutgers University in New Jersey and Michigan State University has received a $3.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Aging. The project will examine how historic policies, such as redlining and gentrification, have effected the health and well-being of Black and White adults in Baltimore.
The University of Houston Health Research Institute has been awarded a $4.7 million grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities to address smoking and mental health challenges of Black adults with HIV. The grant will be used to test a mobile health app that helps users quit smoking and manage stress.
Prairie View A&M University, an HBCU in Texas, has received an $8 million grant from the United States Department of Defense to fund artificial intelligence research. The funding will enhance the university’s Center of excellence in Research and Education for big military Data in InTelligence (CREDIT Center). Established in 2015, the CREDIT Center uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to solve complex problems associated with military operations.
