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.
Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in California has received a $1 million award from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to support the HBCU’s progress in securing accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). The university’s doctor of medicine (MD) program received preliminary accreditation in October 2022 and provisional accreditation in July 2025. A LCME survey for full accreditation is scheduled for February 2027.
South Carolina State University has received three anonymous donations totaling over $500,000. The first gift, worth $407,952.60, will support the HBCU’s ongoing philanthropic campaign dedicated to scholarships, academic excellence, and athletics. Another $50,000 donation will support the broadcast operations of the HBCU’s WSSB 90.3 FM and ESPN Orangeburg radio stations. The third gift, worth $54,000, is allocated for the SC State Annual Fund, which supports scholarships, student success, and university operations.
Gadsden State Community College in Alabama recently received a gift from the Automobile Dealers Association of Alabama to support the HBCU’s automotive service technology program. The program prepares students for employment as entry-level automotive technicians and provides advanced training in diagnostics, repair, and maintenance.
Historically Black North Carolina A&T State University, has been awarded a $1.4 million grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Through a controlled human feeding study, the project aims to provide scientific evidence that links plant-based food to the prevention of heart disease. Scholars from Harvard University and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York are participating in the study.
The University of the District of Columbia recently received a $125,000 gift from the GE Aerospace Foundation to acquire new equipment and hands-on learning resources for the HBCU’s aviation maintenance technology program. Based in a fully equipped hangar classroom at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, the academic program prepares students for careers maintaining and repairing modern aircraft.
