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.
Alpha Kappa Alpha, the first Greek-letter sorority established by African American college women, has donated $1.6 million to HBCUs across the country. The sorority has established the AKA-HBCU Endowment Fund in partnership with the Educational Advancement Foundation. The fund will distribute $10 million to 96 schools over the next ten years. In February, the first installment will distribute $50,000 to 32 participating HBCUs.
Honda has announced that the company will award $200,000 in education grants to HBCUs as part of the 2019 Honda Battle of the Bands program. The grants will support music education, scholarships, facility upgrades, and other investments to improve the student experience. The Battle of the Bands program usually brings together the country’s top HBCU bands for a showcase in Atlanta, but is on hiatus in 2019 due to the Super Bowl, which took place at the usual site of the showcase. However, the company will still be distributing grants to support HBCU music programs. The HBCUs that participated in the 2018 Battle of the Bands will receive this year’s funding.
The College of Pharmacy at Howard University has received a $85,899 grant from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to educate the region’s pharmacists and pharmacy technicians on the dangers of opioid addiction and abuse. The grant will be used to fund a major continuing education symposium for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians from the D.C. area this spring. The conference will focus on introducing participants to the available clinical tools and resources meant to help patients at risk of opioid abuse. The participants will earn continuing education credits and receive opioid addiction and abuse education and training certification.
The United Negro College Fund has received a $1.5 million grant from the Walt Disney Company to support the UNCF in furthering its mission to help minority students access a college education. Additionally, to celebrate Black History Month, Disney will be screening the film Black Panther for free at participating AMC Theatre locations from February 1 to February 7.
Vernita B. Harris has made her alma mater Prairie View A&M University the beneficiary of her life insurance policy. Her policy will gift the university $100,000 to establish an endowed scholarship fund benefiting marketing students in the College of Business in honor of her parents, David and Willie Harris.
