San Antonio, TX—Congressman Henry Cuellar helped deliver two grants, totaling $398,096, to University of Texas San Antonio. Congressman Cuellar announced $84,000 in federal funds through USDA’s Rural Business Development Grant program for workforce development, business development and job creation in the region. In addition, Congressman Cuellar announced $314,096 in federal funding through the U.S. Department of Education’s Child Care Access Means Parents in School program. These funds will be used to provide campus-based childcare services to children of low-income undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in postsecondary education.

“We must address the current needs of working families by supporting them with services such as child care and workforce development,” said Congressman Cuellar. “These critical federal investments will help increase access to on-campus child care for student parents as well as provide training, technical assistance, and other development opportunities ensuring family businesses prosper and grow. As a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, I am committed to fighting for more opportunities for students and working families so they can get ahead. I would like to thank UTSA President Taylor Eighmy and the rest of his faculty and staff for their commitment in providing students with the necessary aid and support needed to successfully reach the goal of graduating with a college degree.”

Child Care Access Means Parents in School Program

 Funding will support the Aim High Child Care Scholarship at UTSA, a need-based scholarship program that will provide campus-based childcare services to over 80 children of low-income undergraduate and graduate students. The goal of the project is to reduce the out-of-pocket expense student parents pay for childcare, help student parents focus on studies, and empower them as their child’s first teacher through parent engagement

UTSA has been selected to receive $314,096 over a five-year period. This grant will be in the amount of $78,524 for the first budgetary period ranging from Oct. 1, 2020 to Sept. 30, 2021.

Rural Business Development Grant

UTSA will use this to funding to provide communities with education focused on retail trends in a COVID-19 world, real estate 101, downtown strategies, retail incentives and redevelopment through an online portal managed by Retail Strategies, called Thinkifc. Retail Strategies will provide individual community analysis to provide proven strategies and tools to attract retail businesses into the community.

UTSA’s Institute for Economic Development and the South West Texas Border Small Business Development Center will be working together to provide this technical assistance.