Columbia, SC--February 14, 2012--Benedict College will once again compete in the Home Depot 2012 "Retool Your School" competition, which awards grants to historically black colleges and universities. Part of the process in determining the winning school is an online vote.  Benedict faculty, staff, and students, along with family and friends, can be a factor in Benedict winning the grant by voting between now and April 10, 2012. The grant will be awarded on May 4, 2012.

Benedict College submitted three projects for consideration: $50,000 to complete construction of the College's first-ever baseball field in the history of the college; $25,000 to renovate the seats in the Ponder Fine Arts Theatre to increase community involvement; and $10,000 to upgrade the campus Walking Track to increase campus green space and student fitness activities.

RETOOL YOUR SCHOOL is a campus improvement grant program created by Home Depot, which is designed to help HBCUs make enduring improvements to their campuses and facilities. This year, Home Depot is proud to announce that they have expanded the program. In addition to the $50,000 Tier I Grant, Home Depot is introducing a new $25,000 Campus Pride Grant for the one school that shows the most initiative in promoting its proposal and garnering votes. Home Depot is also providing an additional $10,000 Tier II Grant.

Thirteen grants will be awarded in 2012. Tier I and Tier II grants will be awarded based on a ratio of consumer voting and advisory board panel selection. The school with the best overall proposal will be awarded with the Tier I campus improvement grant ($50,000 level funding); eleven (11) subsequent applications will be awarded with Tier II campus improvement grants ($10,000 level funding). This year's newest grant, the Campus Pride Grant, will be awarded solely based on voting score. The school with the highest voting score during the voting period will be awarded the $25,000 grant.

Please visit retoolyourschool.com to vote for Benedict College.  It takes less than a minute to complete the process. So please encourage your family and friends to vote. Your cooperation will be greatly appreciated.