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The Texas Department of Criminal Justice reports that its recidivism rate is 16.9% — one of the lowest in the nation. Part of that success comes from workforce programs like a new solar installation training designed for Black, low-income residents in Houston. Many individuals are formerly incarcerated and from neighborhoods historically affected by poverty and pollution. Leon Dillard, who calls his hometown “the energy capital of the world,” spent two years in prison before his September 2024 release. According to Capital B News, he joined about 50 others this past summer in the 22-week solar training program led by the Black United Fund of Texas, the City of Houston, and Green Thumb Academy. “It gave me a sense of purpose,” Dillard said. For the first time, he says he felt part of an educational program that offered support and life-changing benefits. The program provided students with $18 an hour in wages, industry-recognized certification from the National Center for...
Bowie State University (BSU) in Prince George’s County, MD, has received a nearly $1 million, three-year grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to launch the Computing Experiential Hub (CEH). According to a news release shared with AFROTECH™, the CEH combines classroom learning with real-world experience to prepare students for careers in AI and emerging technologies. The initiative will establish new partnerships with leading tech companies, startups, and entrepreneurial ventures — including IBM — to support its goal. “With the Computing Experiential Hub, BSU is taking a bold step to ensure our students are not just learning about artificial intelligence but actively applying it through real-world projects and industry partnerships,” Dr. Rose Shumba, who chairs the computer science department and serves as principal investigator for the CEH, said in the press release. Dr. Shumba added that the CEH will “expand diversity in the AI workforce and position BSU as a national...
Several HBCUs will receive millions in grant funding to further innovation. Grant Funding According to a news release from The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF), eight of its member institutions — all of which are HBCUs — will receive $2 million each in grant funding through its Project HBCU Capacity Building: Maximizing HBCU Institutional Performance through Investments in Research, Operations, and Innovation initiative, funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc. Established in 1987, TMCF is “the nation’s largest organization exclusively representing the Black college community,” according to the organization’s website. TMCF’s $16 million investment is sure to make a big impact. “Through these investments, we are equipping HBCUs to thrive as engines of economic mobility and academic excellence,” Dr. Harry L. Williams, president & CEO of TMCF, said in the news release. “This initiative is not just about funding projects — it’s about building sustainable capacity so that our institutions...
Beyoncé has donated $10,000 to a Black-owned barbershop. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, BeyGOOD, Beyoncé’s charity foundation — in partnership with her haircare brand Cécred — launched a $500,000 annual fund to support cosmetology students through scholarships and empower salons and barbershops with capital, business development tools, mentorship, and resources. “Hairstylists have an immense impact on the people in their chairs. They create a sacred space where we can show up how we want and express ourselves through our hair. We’re honored to give back to this amazing community,” reads a statement on the foundation’s website. This year’s winners include Urban Kutz Barbershop, a Cleveland-based business owned by Waverly Willis that won a $10,000 grant, News 5 Cleveland reports. What’s more, this isn’t your average barbershop. Per News 5 Celbeland, it is reportedly Ohio’s largest minority-owned barbershop chain, and it offers health screenings, including prostate cancer...
SheaMoisture and Fifteen Percent Pledge have opened applications for the 2025 Dartmouth Fellowship, marking the program’s 10th year of supporting women entrepreneurs. According to a news release, the fellowship has assisted over 100 entrepreneurs since its launch in 2015, offering business education, mentorship, and resources to help them grow and scale their companies. To mark the fellowship’s 10th anniversary, SheaMoisture is partnering with the nonprofit organization Fifteen Percent Pledge to recruit 20 women entrepreneurs from both organizations’ networks, with a focus on businesses that are making an impact in Black communities. Obinna Keke, chief brand officer at SheaMoisture, said the partnership will help the program reach more entrepreneurs across the U.S. and provide additional support for small businesses. “Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and play a vital role in driving innovation and fostering community ecosystems. By equipping entrepreneurs with...
Tech and business efforts in Detroit have received a significant investment. The Detroit Free Press reports that the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation (Knight Foundation) has committed $19.8 million in grants to support 12 Detroit projects to create a “vibrant and thriving city,” according to Maribel Pérez Wadsworth, the foundation’s president and CEO. Established in 1950, the foundation has deployed $215 million in grants to support Detroit with a focus on downtown revitalization. The latest commitment brings attention to the city’s “inner-ring neighborhoods,” to uplift art, public spaces, tech, and business. “By focusing on these areas, we create opportunities for connection, we help preserve vital history for the community, we provide ways for the community to really access one another and the downtown core,” Wadsworth said, according to Detroit Free Press. “Now what we’re doing with this latest run of investments is really expand from there — to come out to the next inner...
A new grant backed by industry titan Nancy Twine has launched to support women’s consumer brands. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Twine is a board director and entrepreneur who launched and scaled Briogeo Hair Care, a clean, natural hair care brand, to $100 million before its acquisition by the Wella Co. in 2022. She stepped down from her role as CEO in 2025 but is still involved with the business, per WWD. Makers Mindset x The Equity Studio Grant Twine is passionate about championing early-stage consumer packaged goods brands, which is reflected in her next venture, Makers Mindset, as she explained in a LinkedIn post. Makers Mindset provides women founders with resources, best practices, and community to build and scale strategically. According to its website, its support includes an accelerator, workshop, and $50,000 grant in partnership with The Equity Studio, an investment firm founded by Anna Sweeting. According to WWD, Sweeting and Twine said the grant is “rooted in the...
The Gilbert Family Foundation is investing over $4 million to strengthen Black-owned businesses in Detroit through grants to Black Leaders Detroit (BLD) and the Michigan Black Business Alliance (MBBA). Announced during National Black Business Month , the Foundation revealed in a news release on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025, that it is investing in a broad range of programs, expanding access to capital, technical assistance, and business coaching. “Detroit’s continued growth hinges on a strong small business community throughout the city,” said Darnell Adams, the Gilbert Foundation’s vice president of Detroit community initiatives. “These investments will ensure Detroit developers, entrepreneurs , and small businesses have the resources and opportunities needed to shape the future of our city and state.” BLD will receive a $2.1 million grant to expand its no-interest lending programs, including The Building Fund, which offers up to $150,000 to Black real estate developers for residential...
An investment in the future of Newark, NJ, kindergarten students is underway. According to a press release from the Newark Board of Education, Newark kindergarten students will benefit from a $150,000 grant from The Prudential Foundation . This grant will be allocated to Newark Public Schools through the Newark Saves College Savings Program. Beginning in September at the start of the 2025-26 academic year, the program will provide 3,000 incoming kindergarten students with college savings accounts . The press release notes that Shané Harris, the vice president of inclusive solutions and president of the Prudential Foundation, said the investment honors a commitment to building financial security foundations in the area and globally. The initiative was announced on Aug. 20 and is supported by a partnership with the FOCUS Hispanic Center for Community Development. “It’s not too soon to start thinking about 2038, when this year’s kindergartners will be starting college,” Newark Public...
The tech startup community in Detroit will be receiving a boost! Detroit Startup Fund According to a news release, Mayor Mike Duggan, Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC) officials, City Council President Mary Sheffield, and additional leaders gathered at New Lab at Michigan Central to announce the launch of the Detroit Startup Fund. This $700,000 initiative will award grants to various tech startups in Detroit. “This fund isn’t just about money. It’s about validation and creating pathways for startups that traditional funding sources often overlooked,” Black Tech Saturdays Co-Founder Johnnie Turnage said in the news release. “Detroit and Michigan have incredible talent, but we’ve often lacked the early-stage support that helps startups create jobs. This fund is a monumental step in helping change that.” The first two rounds of recipients will be awarded over the next year, totaling 26 grants — including 20 seed grants of $15,000 each and six scale grants of $50,000 each. The...
The Trump Administration is moving to eliminate grants related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). The Trump Administration is asking the Supreme Court in an “emergency application” to allow the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to cut millions of grants related to diversity initiatives, the New York Times reports . This would require blocking a ruling issued by U.S. District Judge William G. Young of the Federal District Court of Massachusetts, who views the current administration’s actions as racially discriminatory as well as prejudiced against LGBTQ+ individuals for cancelling various research grants around gender identity and health equity. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Florida A&M University (FAMU) lost $16.3 million in grant funding from the NIH, which had been renewed in 2024 and was scheduled to remain active through 2029. The grant was intended to help the HBCU’s pharmacy school and its Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) program, which produces...
Bowie State University, Maryland’s first Historically Black College and University (HBCU) , has received new funding to increase the number of nurse educators in the state. According to a school news release, the university has been awarded a $2.2 million grant from the Maryland Department of Nursing, administered through the Maryland Higher Education Commission, marking the department’s largest grant to date. The funding will be used to support 20 doctoral faculty members in its Ph.D. program over four years with the overarching goal of advancing the nursing workforce by bolstering nurse educators statewide. Bowie State University serves over 6,100 students, according to the school’s LinkedIn. It offers 29 undergraduate majors, 21 master’s degree programs, 16 specialty certificates and three doctoral programs with focus areas such as science, technology, business, education and related disciplines, its website states. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported there will be 193,100...
Three historically Black colleges and universities ( HBCUs ) in Mississippi will benefit from a $9.1 million higher education grant the state received to expand artificial intelligence (AI) education , workforce training, and entrepreneurship. According to WJTV 12 News, on June 12, 2025, Governor Tate Reeves announced the grants through the Mississippi AI Talent Accelerator Program (MAI-TAP), aimed at strengthening the state’s workforce and economic future. In addition to the state support, each institution will seek private funding and resources to maximize impact. “This is another bold step forward for Mississippi,” Reeves said. “We’re not just preparing for the future – we’re building it. This investment will help to ensure that Mississippians are equipped with the skills needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving digital economy.” Administered by AccelerateMS, Jackson State University (JSU) in Jackson received $1.3 million to launch the Executive On Roster (XOR) initiative, which...
Five Howard University students have earned a $1 million grant for their school after winning the fifth annual Goldman Sachs Market Madness competition, as part of its HBCU Possibilities Program, according to an announcement posted on the university’s website. As AFROTECH previously reported, Spelman College won in 2024. The winners of the 2025 Market Madness competition, Keyla Arrechea, Jordan Atkins, Aaron Harrison, Kadijah Mansaray, and Jada Rabun, were among the Howard students in the semester-long program, which is designed to provide, immersive introduction to key financial concepts and their real-world applications, as Goldman Sachs’ website states. During the competition, the Howard team competed against students from 11 other HBCUs. Most of the team had not yet completed their first semester of college when the program began, yet they advanced through two virtual rounds and ultimately delivered their final pitch live at Goldman Sachs’ New York headquarters. They were tasked...
Several salon owners have been awarded a grant from Beyoncé. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the singer’s BeyGood foundation, in collaboration with her newly launched haircare line, Cécred, established a $500,000 annual fund. The initiative supports hairstylists in Atlanta, GA; Chicago, IL; Houston, TX; Los Angeles, CA; and New Jersey who meet specified criteria: They must be licensed for at least two years; have been in business for a minimum of one year; lease or own a suite, booth, or chair; and face financial hardship, according to the foundation’s website. Additionally, the fund includes a $10,000 scholarship opportunity for five cosmetology schools in the aforementioned markets. “Fostering talent, promoting professionalism, and supporting entrepreneurship within the hair industry is deeply important to us,” BeyGood commented on its website. “That’s why we’re partnering with Cécred to create the Cécred x BeyGOOD Fund, which celebrates the influence professional stylists have...
