The Home Depot announces grants for 36 hbcus at 2023 retool your school awards celebration

By Staff Writer Atlanta Trend

• Apr 28, 2023

In the 14th year of its Retool Your School program, The Home Depot awarded 36 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with more than $2 million in grants to improve their college campuses. Alabama A&M University, Coahoma Community College and Fisk University placed first in their respective competition clusters, each winning a $150,000 grant. The 2023 Retool Your School program was expanded to include an additional $2 million in needs-based grants such as Innovation Lounge renovations, internship and externship programs, scholarships and more.

The Retool Your School Awards Celebration was held on Tuesday, April 11 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium to celebrate the participating schools and the 2023 program year. The event was hosted by actor, author, and HBCU alumnae, Rashan Ali. Andre Dickens, mayor of Atlanta, and Molly Battin, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of The Home Depot, delivered remarks to attendees about the importance of championing our nation’s HBCUs.

“The Home Depot’s commitment to HBCUs goes deeper than just financial support,” said Molly Battin, senior vice president and chief marketing officer. “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.”

HBCUs participating in the Campus Improvement Grant program were separated into three clusters based on student population. The top ten schools with the most votes per cluster received grants ranging from $40,000 to $150,000. As part of the new needs-based grant program, 10 schools were also awarded with Innovation Lounge funding to enhance existing spaces on campuses where students can congregate, ideate and collaborate.

Congratulations to all the winning institutions of the 2023 Retool Your School program. 

Campus Improvement Grant Cluster 1 

1.    Alabama A&M University 

2.    Jackson State University 

3.    Albany State University 

4.    Howard University 

5.    Hampton University 

6.    Grambling State University 

7.    Alabama State University 

8.    Southern University and A&M College 

9.    Winston-Salem State University 

10.    Norfolk State University 

Campus Improvement Grant Cluster 2 

1.    Coahoma Community College 

2.    South Carolina State University 

3.    Tuskegee University 

4.    Bethune-Cookman University 

5.    Kentucky State University 

6.    Benedict College 

7.    Savannah State University 

8.    University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff 

9.    University of Maryland Eastern Shore 

10.    Mississippi Valley State University 

Campus Improvement Grant Cluster 3 

1.    Fisk University 

2.    Tougaloo College 

3.    Johnson C. Smith University 

4.    Lane College 

5.    Texas College 

6.    Southwestern Christian College 

7.    Wilberforce University 

8.    Morris Brown College 

9.    Rust College 

10.    Saint Augustine’s University 

Innovation Lounge Grant 

•    Bethune-Cookman University 

•    Florida A&M University 

•    Interdenominational Theological Center 

•    Lincoln University of Missouri 

•    Meharry Medical College 

•    Morehouse College 

•    Morris Brown College 

•    Southern University and A&M College 

•    Southwestern Christian College 

•    Voorhees College 

Since 2009, through Retool Your School, The Home Depot has invested more than $9.25 million dollars to update, upgrade and uplift HBCU campuses. In 2023, the company quadrupled its Retool Your School commitment to $4 million as part of its continued dedication to celebrating the legacy and pride of HBCUs. To learn more, visit RetoolYourSchool.com.