Travis Scott Announces Philanthropic Initiatives

 

Travis Scott Announces Philanthropic Initiatives

Today, artist and performer Travis Scott announced Project HEAL, a multi-tier, long-term series of community-focused philanthropy and investment efforts.

Applications Open Today for $1,000,000 in Scholarships Enabling 100 Black Students Experiencing Financial Hardship in their Senior Year to Graduate On-Time from HBCUs

 

LONG-TERM SERIES OF PHILANTHROPIC, COMMUNITY SERVICE & INVESTMENT EFFORTS OFFER ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIPS, MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAMS FOR VULNERABLE KIDS, DESIGN EDUCATION PROGRAMS FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS, AND A FIRST-EVER TECH-DRIVEN SOLUTION FOR EVENT SAFETY

Kicking the effort off today, $1 million in pledged scholarships for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) will be available to give a leg up to students in need.  With Scott’s support, the Waymon Webster Scholarship Fund will grant $10,000 scholarships to seniors who have reached academic excellence (averaging 3.5 or higher GPA) but who are facing the last-minute challenge of financial adversity in their second semester senior year – and risk not graduating. The scholarships will help bring 100 students over the finish line, diploma in hand.  This is the second year that Scott has supported HBCUs and represents a tenfold increase.

Past recipients include students at Howard University, Morehouse College, Texas Southern University, Grambling State University, and Prairie View A&M University – Scott’s grandfather’s alma mater where he also served as an educator. The scholarship is named after Waymon to honor his lifetime of dedication to academic excellence. 

Applications are now open online at cactusjack.foundation.

Travis Scott said “My grandfather was an educator who made a difference in thousands of young lives throughout his life. He is a major influence on me and countless others, whose dreams he believed in, whose hopes he invested in, and whose futures he made big. It’s in his spirit that we are creating projects and programs that will look to the future of our communities and create hope and excellence in as many lives as possible.” 

Jordan Webster, Project Manager at the Cactus Jack Foundation’s HBCU Program, Howard University student and sister to Travis Scott, said: “I know personally how deeply important my grandfather’s academic legacy at HBCUs is to Travis and to my entire family – my twin brother Josh also attends an HBCU, at Prairie View A&M University. Travis creates hope and makes a real difference to 100 of our HBCU peers who will be able to graduate without going into crushing debt. As a third generation HBCU student, I cannot be prouder to partner with Travis on the second year of this exceptional initiative.”

Nasire Brach, a recipient of the first annual Waymon Webster Scholarship and current Morehouse College student, said: “When I announced that I planned to attend Morehouse College, a lot of people told me I was making the wrong decision and that I’d be putting myself in too much debt. Thanks to the Cactus Jack Foundation’s support, I am one step closer to accomplishing my dreams of being not only the first in my family to attend an HBCU but the first to graduate with a four-year degree." 

The second pillar of HEAL addresses the country’s skyrocketing mental health crisis – and focuses much-needed resources to support services for young people in lower-income communities of color, many of whom have few available, accessible, affordable mental health options.

With seven figures in pledges to fund digital counselling and telephone hotlines, Scott will provide free programs with licensed professional counsellors and social workers. Houston-based behavioral health expert, Dr. Janice Beal, will lead the effort with Scott’s support. Beal, Programing Director of “Well Being in Color,” a peer mental health education program for students of color; in addition to her private practice, Dr. Beal most recently developed mental health pipelines for the Houston Independent School District during the COVID-19 pandemic and is a member of the Mayor of Houston’s task force for special needs, and advises United States Congressmembers on youth mental health issues.

Dr. Janice Beal said, “Mental health has traditionally been a taboo subject. As life begins to return to normal, many young people are still suffering and need help to re-adjust after serious disruptions to their experiences at home, in school and within their community. With Travis Scott’s help, HEAL’s programs will help empower young people to overcome mental health issues and become the best they can be.

The third pillar, in conjunction with Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack Foundation, is a seven-figure expansion of the CACT.US Youth Design Center at TXRX Labs in Houston, a nonprofit makerspace for young artists, designers, tech innovators, including free studio space, work space, tool spaces, job and apprenticeship training, youth education and events.  HEAL will fund a new comprehensive creative design education program for the Center – existing where fashion, art, technology, and music intersect – through a strategic online partnership with a historically black college or university.