Delaware State University has announced a $1 million gift from the Longwood Foundation in support of the university's acquisition of Wesley College.

Ranked third among the nation's public historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), Delaware State announced plans last summer to acquire the college and is working to complete the transaction by July 2021. The grant from the foundation will support ongoing costs related to the acquisition, including a comprehensive plan for aligning the two institutions' academic programs. "This Longwood Foundation gift will be expressly used for that purpose and validates the impact the combined entity will have on the educational, cultural, and economic impact to the City of Dover, Kent County, and the State of Delaware," said Delaware State president Tony Allen.

The foundation's previous awards to the university include two grants of $1 million made between 2011 and 2015 in support of Project Aspire, a scholarship initiative. The latest grant follows several other gifts to Del State announced in December, including a $1 million Health Heroes Relief Fund grant from TikTok, a $1 million grant from JPMorgan Chase's Advancing Black Pathways initiative, and a record gift of $20 million from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.

"In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and all its inherent uncertainties, as well as the continued unrest in our country over systemic racism, there is a case to be made that a university like ours should focus its attention on navigating a rapidly changing American landscape," said Allen. "That is precisely what we are doing. The Wesley acquisition is a once-in-a-generation opportunity and matches our highest aspirations."