Honoring King Legacy, Lowe’s Donates $500K in Emergency Aid to Support Students at UNCF HBCUs

Funding helps HBCU students stay on track to graduate

In recognition of the 2018 Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday, Lowe’s has donated $500,000 to UNCF’s 37 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to award emergency student aid to graduating seniors who need financial support. UNCF’s Emergency Student Aid (ESA) is a lifeline for UNCF-supported HBCU students with unanticipated needs or special circumstances such as the loss of a parent’s job. Nearly 240 seniors received aid during the 2016-17 academic year, allowing them to stay in school and on track to graduate.

“This gift given at this time is a fitting tribute to the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,” said Dr. Michael L. Lomax, UNCF president and CEO. “For more than 30 years, Lowe’s has been a vital partner in UNCF’s continuing mission to increase post-secondary access and success for students attending its member schools who need critical funding to earn their degrees. We want to say ‘thank you’ to Lowe’s for its substantial investment in better futures for students across the United States.”

Since 2009, Lowe’s has partnered with UNCF’s emergency student aid program to provide $4.7 million in just-in-time aid. Thanks to Lowe’s long-term commitment to increasing post-secondary success for students at UNCF member schools, more than 1,700 students have been able to graduate on time. A UNCF partner since 1985, Lowe’s has donated more than $5 million to UNCF over the past three decades.

“Lowe’s commitment to improving communities begins by supporting organizations that give students the resources to become tomorrow’s business and community leaders,” said James Frison, Director of Community Relations. “By supporting organizations like UNCF, Lowe’s is contributing to a cause that is important to our customers and employees and invests in helping students achieve their fullest potential by completing their college degrees.”

UNCF, the nation’s largest and most effective minority education assistance organization, launched ESA in 2009 to help recession-impacted students at risk of having to interrupt their studies and delay their degrees due to unpaid tuition balances, textbooks and room and board fees. In supporting UNCF’s ESA, Lowe’s offered support in a major way again this academic year to help students walk across the finish line. Since 2009, more than $27 million has been raised and disbursed to UNCF-supported students attending UNCF-member HBCUs. To donate to UNCF’s Emergency Student Aid, visit UNCF.org/ESA.

 

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About Lowe’s in the Community 

Lowe’s, a FORTUNE® 50 home improvement company, has a 60-year legacy of supporting the communities it serves through programs that focus on K-12 public education and community improvement projects. In the past decade, Lowe’s and the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation together have contributed nearly $300 million to these efforts, and for more than two decades Lowe’s Heroes volunteers have donated their time to make our communities better places to live. For the latest news, visit Newsroom.Lowes.com or follow @LowesMedia on Twitter.

About UNCF

UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nation’s largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports students’ education and development through scholarships and other programs, strengthens its 37 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education and college readiness. UNCF institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding 20 percent of African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF annually awards $100 million in scholarships and administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at more than 1,100 colleges and universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized trademark, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”^® Learn more at UNCF.org, or for continuous news and updates, follow UNCF on Twitter, @UNCF.