The Home Depot reaffirms its commitment to HBCUs announcing its 2016 Retool Your School Campus Improvement Grant Program. Now in its seventh year, the world’s largest home improvement specialty retailer utilizes the program to offer Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) the opportunity to apply for grants that provide sustainable renovations to their campuses.
This year, the total winnings for the Retool Your School program has increased to $300,000 in grants for nine accredited HBCUs. The schools will be categorized in one of three clusters based on student population. Each cluster will have three winners vying for one $50,000, one $30,000 and one $20,000 grant. The breakdown will be as follows: Cluster 1 will be based on schools with student enrollment of 4,000 or more; Cluster 2 will be based on schools with student enrollment of 3,999–1,251 students; and Cluster 3 will include schools with 1,250 students or less. Since the program’s inception, over one million dollars in grant money has been awarded.
During the online voting period HBCU supporters can cast one vote per day for their favorite HBCU project. Following the online vote, a panel of distinguished judges will also evaluate each school’s project proposals within the qualifying brackets. Judges will consider the depth of each proposal and the school’s ability to execute the project within the specified budgets. Proposals for all three grants must highlight how each project will make a lasting, positive impact on the HBCU campus.
Online voting will take place from February 26 to April 24, 2016 at www.retoolyourschool.com. The winners will be announced on May 18, 2016 in Atlanta. Vote here