As part of the U.S. Congressional Fiscal Year 2023 Omnibus Appropriations bill, the City University of New York has received more than $12 million in funding that supports 14 projects and programs across nine different campuses.

The new funding, part of a $1.7 trillion bill signed by President Joe Biden back in December, was drafted by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Congress Members Yvette Clarke, Adriano Espaillat, Gregory Meeks, Grace Meng, Ritchie Torres and Nydia Velázquez and former member Carolyn Maloney.

The allocations are intended to augment programs and opportunities granted by the City University.

“We thank our legislative leaders for their commitment to CUNY’s future and for recognizing the University’s role as an engine of social and economic mobility that benefits all New Yorkers,” CUNY Chancellor Fèlix Matos Rodríguez said in a statement.

Hunter College received $792,000 to expand the Center for Puerto Rican Studies, also known as Centro, for local school and library workshops. The Centro will provide direct access to its library archives, historical and scholarly resources and educational programs to the wider community.

The City College of New York received $3 million. About $2.2 million was allocated for the Charles B. Rangel Infrastructure Workforce Initiative that augments workforce training programs for underdeveloped communities. Another $809,000 was secured for CUNY Dominican Studies to create the CUNY Cultural/Historical Legacy Initiative) which will enrich students in K-12 schools in partnership with New York City Public Schools.

Queens College received $2.2 million. Of that, $1.46 million was allocated to the Small Business Development Initiative, while $750,000 was allocated to the improvement of the Colden Auditorium.

Lehman was granted $1.75 million for the Mexican Studies Institute and for equitable access to digital equipment.

Hostos Community College was given $1 million to support students in joint degree programs with Columbia University (NextGen Health Scholars Program), Queens College (Arts Administration) and City College (Engineering Program, allowing students to move on to senior colleges after attending Hostos).

Medgar Evers College had received $726,000 for the Re-Envisioning Our Lives through Literature Program at the Center for Black Literature and the Center for Law and Social Justice’s Esmeralda Simmons Pre-Law Program.

LaGuardia Community College was given $405,000 to provide training in electrical, plumbing, HVAC and other construction fields.

Bronx Community College received $150,000 to subsidize workforce development for 100 continuing education students in the Bronx.

“I am proud to help lead the efforts to deliver this much needed federal funding to projects in our community,” Congress Member Espaillat said. “These investments will benefit and provide critical support to educational programs, students and administrators in my district for years to come.”