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1890 Land-Grant Institutions Selected for Funds to Promote Job and Business Growth


WEBWIRE

WASHINGTON.- Acting Secretary Chuck Conner today announced the selection of 15 historically African-American land grant institutions in 14 states to receive $1.5 million in job creation and business promotion grants.

“These funds are part of USDA Rural Development’s ongoing efforts to ensure that all rural Americans are able to share in the nation’s economic growth,” Conner said. “USDA has been working with the 1890 institutions and Tuskegee University for more than a decade to help them reach residents in rural communities with the greatest economic need.”

The grants will be used to help create new businesses, promote cooperatives and provide new employment opportunities through the promotion of Rural Development programs. The recipients are among the 18 institutions supported under the Second Morrill Act of 1890, a law providing for the establishment of land grant institutions focusing on agriculture, home economics and the mechanic arts.

Delaware State University has been selected to receive a $115,000 grant to provide business training and entrepreneurial education for youth and adults through the University’s Delaware Center for Enterprise Development. Since its inception in 1992, the Center has provided services to nearly 10,000 individuals, including more than 2,300 middle and high school students through the Junior Entrepreneurs in Training program.

In addition, Langston University, the only historically African-American university in Oklahoma, has been selected to receive a $100,000 grant to provide innovative start-up management and technical assistance plans for rural and disadvantaged business enterprises. The University will work with Rural Development in Oklahoma to promote the importance of purchasing and developing renewable energy systems for efficiency improvements in agriculture production.

Funding of recipients will be contingent upon their meeting the conditions of the grant agreement. The following is a complete list of recipients:
Recipient State Grant Amount
Tuskegee University AL $100,000
Alabama A&M University AL $100,000
University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff AR $100,000
Delaware State University DE $115,000
Fort Valley State University GA $75,000
Florida A&M University FL $115,000
Kentucky State University KY $97,304
Southern University and A&M College LA $100,000
University of Maryland Eastern Shore MD $100,000
North Carolina A&T State University NC $100,000
Langston University OK $100,000
South Carolina State University SC $99,000
Tennessee State University TN $83,696
Prairie View A&M University TX $100,000
West Virginia State University WV $115,000

USDA Rural Development’s mission is to increase economic opportunity and improve the quality of life for rural residents. Since 2001, USDA Rural Development has invested more than $76.8 billion for equity and technical assistance to finance and foster growth in homeownership, business development, and critical community and technology infrastructure. More than 1.5 million jobs have been created or saved through these investments. Further information on rural programs is available at a local USDA Rural Development office or by visiting USDA’s web site at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov



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