COLUMBIA, S.C. — The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced this week it is awarding three projects in South Carolina a total of just under $5 million to fund work focusing on STEM and workforce training.
DOE's Community Capacity Building Grant Program focuses on two tracks:
- reinvestment in disadvantaged communities impacted by decades of nuclear defense and research missions, and currently hosting environmental cleanup sites, and
- strengthening relationships with communities by supporting projects that serve community and economic development goals, promote revitalization efforts, and promote inclusive community engagement practices.
The South Carolina projects fall under the latter consideration and are part of a nationwide allocation of grants totaling $18.9 million. The South Carolina projects are:
- Southern Carolina Regional Development Alliance of Barnwell: $1,974,371 for renovating an existing building in a disadvantaged community into a regional workforce training center designed to train craft workers needed throughout the nearby DOE complex (Savannah River Site)
- University of South Carolina: $1,945,823 to focus on enhancing STEM opportunities for underserved K-12 schools throughout South Carolina.
- Southern Palmetto Foundation: $962,142 to support capacity building with a three-year education project for rural small business entrepreneurs and leaders in underserved areas experiencing negative population growth who are interested in learning new business innovation technologies.
Total estimated value these of grant awards to South Carolina is $4,882,336.
