2016 Retool Your School Campus Improvement Grant Program Winners

Last Updated on May 20, 2016

The Home Depot officially announced the winners of the 2016 RETOOL YOUR SCHOOL Campus Improvement Grant Program. This program, established in 2010, provides support for campus improvement projects at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) across the country. To date, the program has awarded $1.5 million dollars in grant money to HBCUs. The announcement was made during a luncheon held at the Home Depot corporate headquarters.

This year, the total winnings for the Retool Your School program tally $300,000 in grants, to be distributed to nine accredited HBCUs that have demonstrated, through a judging process, their need and ability to utilize the requested funds to renovate their campuses.

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; and Cluster 3 will include schools with 1,250 students or less.

The 2016 RETOOL YOUR SCHOOL Winners from Home Depot

Cluster 1
$50,000 – Howard University
$30,000 – Florida A&M University
$20,000 – Virginia State University

Cluster 2
$50,000 – South Carolina State University
$30,000 – Tuskegee University
$20,000 – Oakwood University

Cluster 3
$50,000 – Lane College
$30,000 – Wiley College
$20,000 -LeMoyne-Owen College

The judging process is preceded by a two-month social media campaign that engages the HBCU community to cast votes for their desired participating HBCU. Online voting, which began February 26, 2016, and ended April 24, 2016, allows HBCU supporters to cast one vote per day per device for their favorite participating HBCU.

“This is the seventh year for Retool Your School. The Home Depot continues to see a growth trajectory of excitement and participation for this program,” says Melissa Brown, senior manager, marketing, The Home Depot. “The Home Depot is thrilled about the surge of engagement and online voting this year.”

The 2016 RETOOL YOUR SCHOOL winners are selected by a combination of online voting, social media activity and proposal reviews by a distinguished panel of judges: Laz Alonso, Howard University alumnus and film and television star; Angela Burt Murray, Hampton University alumna, and Co-Founder and CEO, CocoaFab.com; Gregory Moore, Esq, commissioner, Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC); Michael Tabb, managing partner, Red Rock Global; and Kenneth Hill, district manager, The Home Depot.

The 2016 RETOOL YOUR SCHOOL Campus Improvement Grant Program supports the growing sustainability movement by providing special consideration to eco-friendly project proposals. With the goal of issuing grants for projects that have a lasting impact, winning RETOOL YOUR SCHOOL projects will begin in the summer of 2016. For more information on the RETOOL YOUR SCHOOL program, visit www.RetoolYourSchool.com

About The Home Depot

The Home Depot is the world’s largest home improvement specialty retailer, with 2,275 retail stores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, 10 Canadian provinces and Mexico. In fiscal 2015, The Home Depot had sales of $88.5 billion and earnings of $7.0 billion. The Company employs more than 385,000 associates. The Home Depot’s stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: HD) and is included in the Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor’s 500 index.

Source: Black PR Wire