Since 2006, historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have had a $10.8 billion positive impact on the U.S. economy through wages, salaries, and employment income according to the U.S. Department of Education. In such an environment of success, it’s no surprise HBCU students are eager to give back to their institutions.
One program helping students do just that is Retool Your School (RYS). RYS awards grants to HBCUs every year that they can invest back into their campuses.
Passionate students, alumni and supporters vote for their HBCU’s chance to win one of the nine campus improvement grants of $50,000 each. Back for the second year is the $50,000 Campaign of the Year Award (COY) for the most innovative, original and effective campaign to one school. Ten opportunities to win created a total of $500,000 in grant money awarded through RYS in 2020.
RYS sees 87% of the nation’s HBCUs participate in the program. Congratulations to the ten winning schools that stood out among the competition in 2020:
As many RYS participants know, attending an HBCU is more than a great educational experience – it is a cultural one as well. Whether it's gaining confidence or branching out as a leader, many HBCU alumni attribute their college experience to their personal and professional development.
To celebrate their HBCUs, alumni shared what it means to them in the RYS Love Letters video. To watch stories of previous RYS winners and learn more about the RYS program, click here.
