COLUMBIA, S.C. — Benedict College was selected as one of 15 Historically Black Colleges to receive funding through the Propel Center's $3 million Impact Grants, which were made by Apple's nationwide investment in racial equity and justice.
The grant money is an initiative by the Propel Center to advance fairness in education for HBCUs.
Three million dollars will be split between the 15 college and universities for their submissions that were centered around Agri-tech and Arts and Entertainment initiatives. Benedict was one of nine schools chosen for funding specifically focused on the Arts.
A press release by Benedict says the college plans to use the grant to build capacity for the community in which it serves.
Benedict shared that the heart of its project is to create a ground-breaking Student Graphic Novel. The novel will build a world with fictional characters that create a narrative to support the College's mission.
President and CEO of Benedict College, Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis thanked Propel for supporting the school's mission to develop cultural and professional competencies.
“We are very appreciative of The Propel Center for the opportunity to share the Benedict story,” Dr. Artis said in the release. “We look forward to amplifying Propel’s Arts and Entertainment articulated goal of diversifying the entertainment industry by creating a pipeline for Black and other underrepresented students."
The college's project will work to enhance and combine academic areas of Music Industry, Mass Communication, and Studio Art. Students will have opportunities to create channels for diversity and to assist Black students desiring to enter career pathways in Music Marketing, Film & TV Production, and Fine Arts, according to the college.
“We were blown away by the innovation in the projects these institutions presented, and we are super excited about the tremendous expansion and exposure the students at these institutions will gain from their involvement in these groundbreaking initiatives,” Dr. Cortney Harris, Vice President of Impact and Engagement at Propel told Benedict.
A total of 44 proposals were submitted to the Propel Center for the Impact Grant.