Paul Quinn College Receives $1.5M Grant To Expand Housing And Community Impact In Texas – Essence

Paul Quinn College has been awarded $1.5 million grant from the T.D. Jakes Foundation, in partnership with Wells Fargo, to fund a pioneering housing and mixed-use development project. This ambitious initiative will expand housing capacity at the Texas-based HBCU by an astounding 300% while creating a dynamic community hub for students, their families, and the surrounding Southern Dallas neighborhood.

“This is so much more than a traditional real estate project or campus housing development—it’s a statement about what higher education can be for all of us,” said Dr. Michael J. Sorrell, President of Paul Quinn College. “We are building a city within our campus walls. It will be a community that inspires, innovates, and invests in its people.”

The project, designed to address critical needs such as housing, food security, and transportation, will feature student and family housing, retail and restaurant spaces, parks, outdoor meeting areas, and classrooms. It will also serve the broader Highland Hills community and the schools located on the Paul Quinn campus, including KIPP Oak Cliff Academy and Dr. Frederick D. Haynes III Global Preparatory Academy, according to a release shared with ESSENCE.

The T.D. Jakes Foundation sees this initiative as a potential game-changer. “This $1.5 million grant will lay the groundwork for an innovative mixed-use development that not only provides essential services and resources but also strengthens the college’s long-term vision for community impact,” said Kelley Cornish, President and CEO of the foundation.

Paul Quinn College is also breaking new ground academically, partnering with Jakes Divinity School to launch its first-ever graduate program: the T.D. Jakes MBA. As the only accredited MBA offered by an HBCU in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, this program equips students with the skills needed for leadership roles in business and entrepreneurship.

These efforts are a part of Paul Quinn’s broader mission to eradicate generational poverty. “This is about creating opportunities and investing in people,” said Dr. Sorrell. “With partners like T.D. Jakes Foundation and Wells Fargo, we’re taking bold steps to ensure our students and community thrive.”