Electricity/natural gas provider Dominion Energy has announced that it is awarding $500,000 in scholarships in 2021 to assist African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian and other underrepresented minority students who reside in the company’s service area.
The company has promised to award $10 million in scholarships over six years. Dominion Energy’s Educational Equity Scholarship Programme will provide assistance to students of minority backgrounds, which includes higher education expenses. “As we witness our country’s evolving conversation on racial equity and social justice, we want to do our part to help historically underserved students,” stated Robert M Blue, Dominion Energy’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “We know that education can serve as a springboard for social and economic mobility.”
“We have partnered with historically Black colleges and universities for nearly 40 years, offering volunteer and financial support,” added Thomas F Farrell, II, Dominion Energy’s Executive Chairman. “This scholarship programme is another way for us to support the students who will one day lead our nation.”
The company has also committed $25 million to 11 historically black colleges and universities in Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina and South Carolina. The six-year “HBCU Promise” programme will support endowments, capital projects, operating expenses and educational programmes in clean energy.
SCHOLARSHIPS TO BOOST DIVERSITY
The energy provider will provide 60 scholarships totalling $500,000 in 2021. Of those, 20 scholarships of $5,000 each will be made available for students enrolled in two-year schools; and 40 scholarships of $10,000 each will be awarded to students enrolled in four-year schools. Scholarship recipients will be able to renew scholarships as they progress in school, provided they meet certain criteria; such as GPA requirements and residence in an eligible state.
The programme is administered by Scholarship America, a non-profit that specialises in management of scholarship and tuition assistance programmes. Scholarship America will also support Dominion Energy in the selection of finalists.
To be eligible, students must:
- Self-identify as Black or African American; Hispanic or Latino; American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; or Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander with higher education expenses.
- Be high school seniors or graduates, or current college undergraduates residing in Connecticut, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Idaho, Wyoming or Utah; with plans to enroll full time at an accredited two- or four-year college, university or vocational-technical school for the entire upcoming academic year.
The scholarship application period is open until 25 January 2021 (3pm CST). For more information, visit the Dominion Energy website.
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