NEW YORK, May 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation today announced $1.76 million in emergency grants distributed to 16 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
HBCUs are an integral part of the higher education landscape and enroll nearly 300,000 students across the country, but these institutions face chronic funding challenges.
“As the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affects underresourced institutions and communities of color, the Mellon Foundation is proud to provide focused support for students attending these vital historically black schools.”
Reflecting on the importance and potential impact of this funding Lincoln University President Brenda Allen remarked: “For every $1,000 we can offer a student in grant aid we increase the likelihood that they will graduate by about 20 percent.”
Funding in the form of $110,000 emergency grants will be given to Lincoln and 15 other HBCUs: Claflin University, Clark Atlanta University, Dillard University, Fisk University, Hampton University, Howard University, Johnson C. Smith University, Morehouse College, Morgan State University, North Carolina A&T State University, Prairie View A&M University, Spelman College, Tougaloo College, Winston-Salem State University, and Xavier University of Louisiana.