CHARLOTTE (AP) — Lowe’s is investing $4 million toward new partnerships with two North Carolina universities, the home improvement retailer announced Tuesday.

Queens University of Charlotte announced Lowe’s is providing $2.5 million for the new Charlotte Talent Initiative, The Charlotte Observer reported. The initiative is a partnership between Mecklenburg County businesses and the college to expand Charlotte’s talent pipeline and help low-income graduates of local high schools, the school said.

N.C. Central University in Durham, a historically Black college, announced that it is receiving a $1.5 million gift from Lowe’s for the college’s School of Business. That includes placing Lowe’s name on the auditorium at the business school now under construction and a new academic program, according to NCCU.

The school also said the investment will be used to develop a new academic program, plus faculty recruitment and student scholarships.

Last year, Lowe’s pledged $10 million to Johnson C. Smith University, another historically Black college, as part of the Mayor’s Racial Equity Initiative, the largest investment in Charlotte history intended to address racial disparities.

Mooresville-based Lowe’s has 2,200 home improvement and hardware stores in the U.S. and Canada and employs more than 300,000 people.