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 Prairie View A&M University in Texas, has received a $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to address flooding and industrial pollution issues in Southeast Texas. The project will examine how natural systems, infrastructure, and human behavior intersect in communities that regularly experience hurricanes, oil spills, and other disasters. The research aims to help forecast environmental risks and inform adaptation strategies, such as green infrastructure and community-based resilience planning.
Alabama A&M University recently received a grant from the Interledger Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing open and interoperable digital financial systems. The funds will support the HBCU’s Dollarcraft program, a 12-week interdisciplinary challenge that introduces students to digital banking, entrepreneurship, and financial tools through applied research, culminating in a hackathon event. Students participating in the program will design, prototype, and showcase inclusive payment solutions that connect underserved communities to the digital economy.
The department of rehabilitation and disability studies at historically Black Langston University in Oklahoma has received three grants totaling $3.125 million from the U.S. Department of Education. Over the next five years, the three grants will support scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students who are pursuing careers in rehabilitation services for youth with mental, intellectual, and developmental disabilities.
North Carolina A&T State University was awarded a $2.5 million grant from Action for Women’s Health, a philanthropic initiative founded by Melinda Gates that aims to improve the mental and physical well-being of women from all backgrounds. The new funding will support the HBCU’s human lactation certificate program, which prepares students to become International Board Certified Lactation Consultants. The program – one of only 11 accredited certificates of its kind in the world – also operates a no-cost Community Lactation Clinic that provides breastfeeding resources to pregnant and postpartum women.
Historically Black South Carolina State University has received three grants totaling $4.5 million from the U.S. Department of Education to support graduate students pursuing careers in rehabilitation counseling. The trio of projects will provide students with scholarships and advanced training in trauma-informed counseling school services for children and adolescents with disabilities, substance use and trauma-related disorders, and assistive technology/artificial intelligence.
