Morehouse Alum Launches STEAM Nonprofit to Expand Opportunities for Fayetteville Youth

A Morehouse College graduate is bringing critical STEAM education and leadership development to underserved youth in his hometown of Fayetteville, North Carolina, through an innovative nonprofit that's transforming how young people access opportunity.

Grant Bennett, who also works at Google, launched The Two-Six Project in 2019 with a mission to provide leadership development and educational resources to students who, like him, grew up with limited exposure to diverse career paths. The organization operates from the historic Orange Street school, a renovated community space that once served as the first publicly funded school for Black youth in the city.

The organization's headquarters features multiple learning "Labs" including a music studio, garden, and auxiliary rooms where participants can explore hands-on educational opportunities. Through these spaces, Bennett is addressing the gap he experienced firsthand growing up in Fayetteville.

"Fayetteville is not Charlotte, it's not Raleigh, it's not like a big city. There's no big buildings, there aren't huge corporations and companies in Fayetteville.

Comprehensive Programming for Student Success

The Two-Six Project offers multiple pathways for student engagement and development:

• Emerging Leaders Development Program: High school students receive college-readiness training, mentorship, and financial literacy education
• STEAM Scholars Program: Introduces participants to robotics, coding, and sustainable energy
• Sports Initiative: Helps students maintain physical fitness and athletic development
• Children's Literacy Program: Strengthens reading skills for elementary school students

Bennett's vision extends beyond traditional education models. Working as a Google employee while running the nonprofit, he brings real-world technology industry experience back to his community.

"My mission really is to promote true agendas of freedom. I believe that in my corporate work and the work I do now. I want to show people there's no limits to anything that you can do."

The Morehouse Impact

Bennett credits his Morehouse experience with broadening his worldview and inspiring his commitment to give back. His journey to the historically Black institution was influenced by advice from North Carolina rapper J. Cole, whom Bennett met during high school.

"Cole was real big talking to us back then about education," Bennett recalled. When deciding between college offers, Cole encouraged him: "Go see the world, allow for that to help inform who you are and what you see, and then when you're old enough, you'll be able to come back and give back."

That's exactly what Bennett has done. Through The Two-Six Project, he's fulfilling the promise of bringing expanded opportunities back to Fayetteville's youth.

"So I think part of our job is to showcase and give them the exposure to what can be, what these industries are, and giving them that foundational knowledge to at least know that it's there," the Morehouse alumnus added.

By operating from the historic Orange Street school—a site that represents the long struggle for educational access in the Black community—Bennett's work connects past struggles with future possibilities, ensuring the next generation of Fayetteville students sees no limits to what they can achieve.

Originally reported by Black Enterprise.