Lowe’s invests $2.5 million toward initiative at Queens University

CHARLOTTE — Lowe’s is investing $4 million toward new partnerships with two North Carolina universities, the home improvement retailer announced Tuesday.

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Queens University of Charlotte announced Lowe’s is providing $2.5 million for the new Charlotte Talent Initiative, The Charlotte Observer reported. The initiative is a partnership between Mecklenburg County businesses and the college to expand Charlotte’s talent pipeline and help low-income graduates of local high schools, the school said.

N.C. Central University in Durham, a historically Black college, announced that it is receiving a $1.5 million gift from Lowe’s for the college’s School of Business. That includes placing Lowe’s name on the auditorium at the business school now under construction and a new academic program, according to NCCU.

The school also said the investment will be used to develop a new academic program, plus faculty recruitment and student scholarships.

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Last year, Lowe’s pledged $10 million to Johnson C. Smith University, another historically Black college, as part of the Mayor’s Racial Equity Initiative, the largest investment in Charlotte history intended to address racial disparities.

Mooresville, North Carolina-based Lowe’s has 2,200 home improvement and hardware stores in the U.S. and Canada and employs more than 300,000 people.

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