Philanthropy

US: Dominion Energy pledges $35m for black higher education

Dominion Energy is supporting 11 historically black colleges and universities in Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina and South Carolina through a $35 million initiative aimed at promoting higher education equity.

The six-year HBCU Promise programme will provide $25 million in funding to select institutions. Additionally, a $10 million scholarship fund will support African American and underrepresented minority students across the company’s service territory.

Thomas F Farrell, II, the Dominion’s chairman, president and chief executive, said: “We have all been witness to our country’s evolving conversation on race and social justice. The country is changing, and we have been looking for ways that we can make a difference. Investing in these important institutions – which serve as a springboard for social and economic mobility for so many – is one way we can help. We have actually partnered with HBCUs for nearly 40 years, offering volunteer and financial support. As I have said before, we are humbled and honoured to continue supporting them with this current initiative.”

In selecting the institutions, the company looked at a range of factors, including locations with a significant customer presence, past partnerships and opportunities to make immediate impact. In structuring the partnerships, the company will focus on four general areas: operating needs, urgent capital needs, endowment and scholarships. Some details remain to be worked out. But Dominion Energy plans to tailor packages to the needs of each institution.

Dominion Energy is based in Richmond, Virginia.

US: $1m scholarship endowment for black law students

The Rosalie and Harold Rae Brown Charitable Foundation has gifted $1 million to the University of Southern California’s Gould School of Law to help African-American students.

The gift includes the $1 million scholarship endowment along with an additional $50,000 gift for current use toward merit scholarships for law student applicants, beginning with the incoming class in autumn 2021, with a positive consideration in the selection process given to students who self-identify as African-American.

The contribution was made by USC alumnus Harold Brown, who named the scholarship in honour of his parents.

Brown said: “I have the utmost respect for people who work hard to further their education, and I’m very pleased that the Rosalie and Harold Rae Brown Charitable Foundation can help talented, deserving students achieve their goals. I hope this scholarship makes a difference in the lives of Gould students, who will then go on to make a difference in the lives of so many others during their legal careers.”

USC Gould dean Andrew Guzman said: “The strength of our law school is rooted in its diversity – of backgrounds, cultures, ideas and perspectives. Yet we recognise that there is much more work to be done on this important front. It’s an ongoing process of improvement. This generous gift helps us in our journey to become a better, more inclusive institution, which in turn helps the legal profession become more diverse and more representative of the communities it serves.

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