10 Historically Black Colleges and Universities Awarded for Plans To Develop Energy-Focused Partnerships

Phase 1 of the HBCU Energy Education Prize Awards $100,000 to HBCUs To Develop Next Generation of Energy Leaders

Feb. 28, 2024 | By Tim Meehan

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Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the winners of the first phase of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Energy Education Prize Partnerships Track. The Partnerships Track is one of two tracks in the HBCU Energy Education Prize, which is awarding nearly $8 million to winning HBCUs to help prepare the next generation of energy leaders.

The Partnerships Track is helping to meet the demand for a growing energy workforce by empowering HBCUs to build partnerships that open the door to new energy resources and opportunities for students.

The Partnerships Track

Starting in August 2023, HBCUs were challenged to create partnerships with government agencies, industry leaders, and other universities aimed at long-term educational program growth and support for undergraduate and graduate students. Together with their partners, HBCUs developed plans for advanced energy programming such as graduate certificates, internship programs, research partnerships, and more.

Through these partnerships and new programs, the prize winners can help generate new energy-focused opportunities for HBCU students—both academically and in the workforce—for years to come. The 10 winners of this phase were each awarded $100,000, with a total track award pool of $6.75 million.

"By kickstarting these partnerships, we're giving more students a chance to get involved in the energy sector and play a role in shaping the future energy landscape, said Terrence Mosley, DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy senior advisor for STEM and university partnerships."

This track works hand in hand with the Inspire Track, the other track of the HBCU Energy Education Prize, which supports the development of energy-focused academic break programs for K–12 and community college students. Inspire Track Phase 1 winners were announced last October.

Meet the Winners

• Albany State University
• Clark Atlanta University
• Dillard University
• Florida A&M University
• Howard University
• Jackson State University
• Morehouse College
• Southern University and A&M College
• Southern University at Shreveport
• Tennessee State University.

What Is Next?

Now that the winners have been announced, they will move onto Phase 2 of the prize. For the next five months, the 10 winners will build on the plans they created in Phase 1, focusing on fostering partnerships, programming, and engagement mechanisms. This phase comes with the potential for up to $400,000 in additional funding per winning team.

The remaining teams will have a chance to receive a third round of funding during Phase 3 of the contest. The final three Partnerships Track winners will be announced in early 2025 and will split a $1.75 million pool. Meanwhile, the final winners of the Inspire Track will be announced this summer.

"It's exciting to be a part of this push to bring new ideas into the energy space," Mosley said. "We congratulate the winners and look forward to seeing how their plans progress over Phase 2."

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This article has been updated to reflect editorial changes made after its original publication.