Rapper Travis Scott’s foundation awards $1 million to 100 Black college students

Rapper Travis Scott’s foundation, the Cactus Jack Foundation, has announced it will grant $1 million in scholarship funds to 100 college students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). 

In a statement on Tuesday, the foundation said the Waymon Webster Scholarship Fund will grant up to $10,000 in scholarships to students who are maintaining an average GPA of 3.5 and face financial hardships in college. 

This year’s recipients include graduating seniors from 38 HBCUs,such as Florida A&M University pharmacy major Nisha Encarnacion, Fisk University computer science major Chisom Okwor and North Carolina Central University mass communications major Jordan Massey. 

The announcement comes after Scott’s first performance since a stampede killed ten people and injured hundreds during his performance at Astroworld music festival in Houston in November. The victims were between the ages of 9 and 27.

In March, the “Sicko Mode” singer launched a $5 million initiative called “Project HEAL,” aiming to work toward solutions to help those in marginalized and at-risk communities.

His new scholarship fund is named after Waymon Webster, a former dean of Prairie View A&M‘s graduate school.

“Excellence abounds in every Black household, but too often opportunity does not – and Black students are left behind or counted out. So that’s what my family and I set out to change,” Travis Scott said in a statement, adding “we are already looking forward to increasing our work next year.” 

​​“Black students are less than half as likely to graduate from college as white students, and financial pressure is the primary reason,” National Urban League President and CEO Marc Morial said of the donation.

“We applaud Travis Scott and the Cactus Jack Foundation for investing in the next generation and congratulate the 100 Waymon Webster Scholarship recipients on their graduation.”

Concertgoers and families of the deceased at Astroworld have filed hundreds of lawsuits against Scott and event organizers, alleging they didn’t take the necessary steps to prevent the stampede and didn’t immediately stop the performance despite knowing there was a problem in the crowd. 

The House Oversight and Reform Committee launched their own investigation into the matter.