Georgia Power and its parent, Southern Company, are supporting Georgia’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with $1.625 million in funding through the Southern Company Foundation. The grants will be used for technology tools, infrastructure, professional development and tech support for the 2020-2021 academic year. The gift is part of Southern Company and its subsidiaries’ $50 million HBCU Initiative, a multi-year funding strategy announced in January 2020 that provides HBCU students with scholarships, internships, leadership development and access to technology and innovation to support career readiness.
In Georgia, the six HBCUs receiving support are: Albany State University, Clark Atlanta University, Fort Valley State University, Morehouse College, Savannah State University and Spelman College.
“Georgia Power has been a longtime partner of HBCUs in our state, and I am proud we can build on our support of these important institutions through these grants,” said Chris Womack, president of Georgia Power. “Not only are these schools innovating for the future, they are also helping lead racial equity efforts across Georgia. Every dollar we are able to invest in them is an investment in future leaders for our state and our communities.”
The latest round of grants totals $5.1 million, including the $1.625 million contribution in Georgia, and will be awarded to help alleviate challenges created by the pandemic through funding technology tools, infrastructure support, professional development and IT services to select undergraduate HBCUs within Southern Company’s service footprint in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee and Virginia.
While Georgia Power is a part of a growing group of corporate and philanthropic organizations who have increased support for HBCUs in the wake of the pandemic and mounting calls for racial equity and social justice, the company has been long recognized for its support of these institutions and its overall commitment to helping all communities in Georgia thrive.
Last year, the company was honored by the Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) with the 2019 Louis C. Brown MD Vanguard Award for the company’s leadership in improving health and wellbeing in Georgia. The company has been a supporter of MSM since 1985. During the 35-year partnership, Georgia Power and MSM have worked together to help provide science, technology, engineering and mathematics education to nearly 5,000 students through K-12 programs, the MSM Undergraduate Health Sciences Academy and other pipeline programs.
Georgia Power also has an active recruiting strategy with HBCUs for internships, cooperative education programs and full-time positions.
As part of the $50 million initiative, this allocation will be awarded to qualifying institutions in grants up to $500,000. Additional grant opportunities in support of other needs at qualifying HBCUs will be available in the future.
Georgia Power, Southern Company and its subsidiaries are committed to the success of HBCUs and fostering greater diversity and inclusion across the communities they serve. For more information, please visit www.GeorgiaPower.com.