The Home Depot’s Retool Your School initiative recently awarded 30 different HBCUs with funds toward restoration projects.
Tougaloo College in Jackson, Mississippi, came in first place and received $120,000 and the Campaign of the Year award, according to the press release. Recipients of the funds are divided into three clusters based on their school’s population, with Tougaloo coming in first in Cluster 3.
School alumni, current students, and supporters were encouraged to cast their votes for each school. The top 10 schools with the most votes per cluster were awarded grants ranging from $20,000 to $75,000. The winner of the Campaign of the Year award received an additional $45,000. Recipients of the award were selected based on if their campaign receives the most votes.
Other schools on the list in Cluster 3 included Lane College, Fisk University, and Texas College, which came in second, third, and fourth place, respectively. In Cluster 2, Coahoma Community College in Clarksdale, MS, came in first, with Tuskegee University, and Bethune-Cookman University coming in second and third place. Within Cluster 1, Alabama A&M University came first place, with Jackson State University and Southern University and A&M College coming in second and third place.
This year, #HomeDepotRetool is committing $1 MILLION to HBCUs across the country. Join us on April 14 on https://t.co/B61SvEcNpj to see which grants 30 schools will win! Who’s got it in the bag? 💰💰💰 pic.twitter.com/2eDAlftxRm
— Retool Your School (@HomeDepotRetool) April 8, 2021
For the last 12 years, Home Depot has used its Retool Your School program to aid the redevelopment projects at HBCUs all across the country. The home improvement retailer has reportedly awarded $4 million in funding for over 140 HBCU campus improvement projects at 87% of the nation’s historically Black colleges and universities.
The participating schools were honored in a virtual Retool Your School Winners Ceremony hosted by actor and Howard University alumnus Laz Alonso. Oscar award-winning costume designer and Hampton University alumnis Ruth E. Carter served as the event’s keynote speaker.
“Since 2009, The Home Depot has continued to increase its investment in campus improvements for HBCUs,” said Home Depot’s Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer Derek Bottoms. “We are ensuring HBCU students have an upgraded environment that enhances their educational experience as they progress on their journey to become the next generation of leaders.”