Through its annual Retool Your School program, The Home Depot has awarded three Georgia Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with grants to help improve their campuses.
The three Georgia-based schools that received campus improvement grants from the American retailer were Morris Brown College (Atlanta), Albany State University (Albany) and Savannah State University (Savannah).
In total, 36 HBCUs across the U.S. were awarded this year through The Home Depot’s program, with over $2 million in campus improvement grants distributed among the winning schools, along with an additional $2 million in needs-based grants handed out — including Innovation Lounge renovations (funding to enhance existing spaces where students gather), internship programs, scholarships and more.
HBCUs that participated in the program were separated into three clusters according to student population. The top ten schools that received the most votes in each cluster received between $40,000 to $150,000, depending on placement.
Albany State University finished in third place in the first grant cluster (earning $80,000), while Savannah State University received the seventh most votes in cluster two.
Atlanta’s own Morris Brown College had the eighth-most votes in the third cluster, and was also one of only four HBCUs to receive both a campus improvement grant and an innovation lounge grant.
Earlier this week, to honor the participating schools and the 2023 program year, the Retool Your School Awards Celebration was held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Actor and HBCU alumnae, Rashan Ali, hosted the event. Also in-attendance were Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and Molly Battin, the senior vice president and chief marketing officer of The Home Depot, who both offered up remarks about the importance of championing the country’s HBCUs.
“The Home Depot’s commitment to HBCUs goes deeper than just financial support,” said Battin. “We recognize that HBCUs are fundamental to academic success and professional development in both the communities they serve and our nation as a whole. We’re committed to preserving that incredible history and seeing that it continues to grow.”
Since the Retool Your School program’s creation in 2009, The Home Depot has invested over $9 million to HBCUs for the purpose of updating and upgrading their respective campuses.
To learn more about the program, head over to retoolyourschool.com.