Morgan State University’s Entrepreneurial Development and Assistance Center Receives $75,000 Grant to Support Entrepreneurs and the Self-Employed

Recognized for its generous contributions to Baltimore, Morgan State University’s Entrepreneurial Development and Assistance Center ( EDAC ) received a 2019 Lighting the Way Award from the  SunTrust Foundation  along with a $75,000 grant. EDAC will use the grant to create resources for individuals participating in the gig economy and entrepreneurs.

The SunTrust Foundation’s Lighting the Way Awards recognize select nonprofit organizations that work to build self-sufficient families and more financially confident communities through financial education, financial counseling, career readiness/workforce development and small business/entrepreneurship.

“The SunTrust Foundation is proud to recognize and support our local nonprofit partners that empower and strengthen the communities they serve,” said Stan Little, president of the SunTrust Foundation. “EDAC is making a meaningful impact with their programs to improve the financial well-being of the people who need it most.”

EDAC is one of 36 nonprofits across the Southeast and Midwest presented with a 2019 Lighting the Way Award from the SunTrust Foundation, which gave a total of $2.7 million in grants to these nonprofits. Housed within the University’s Earl G. Graves School of Business and Management, the EDAC strives to connect budding and existing entrepreneurs to resources for venture management and growth. It is supported through a grant from the United States Department of Education, Title III Program.

“We are honored to be one of 36 organizations and two from Baltimore to receive this award,” said Omar S. Muhammad, director of the EDAC. “The work that we do to enrich budding and existing entrepreneurs in and around Morgan State University will benefit greatly from this recognition.”

About Morgan State University

Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution offering more than 125 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland’s Preeminent Public Urban Research University, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.

About SunTrust Foundation

The SunTrust Foundation is committed to SunTrust Bank’s (NYSE: STI) purpose of Lighting the Way to Financial Well-Being by engaging with local and national organizations to advance financial confidence. Grants and activities focus primarily on financial education, financial counseling, career readiness and small business/entrepreneurship, in addition to local community grants. The SunTrust Foundation supports American Red Cross disaster relief efforts and contributes as a United Way Global Corporate Leader. Established in 2008, the SunTrust Foundation has proudly provided grants totaling more than $170 million throughout the United States.

MEDIA CONTACT(S):

Larry Jones or Dell Jackson, University PR
(443) 885-3022

Audria Belton, for SunTrust Foundation
404.813.3664
audria.belton@suntrust.com