BATON ROUGE, La. — Louisiana State University now has a $7.2 million endowment for students who grew up in foster care, and first lady Melania Trump came to Baton Rouge on Saturday to launch it, the White House said.
The scholarships sit under Fostering the Future, which Mrs. Trump set up in 2021. It helps young people from foster care pay for college so they can get an entry-level job and support themselves, according to the White House statement.
MMR Group put in $5 million. The rest came from other donors through the LSU Foundation, the statement said. The total announced Saturday was higher than the $5 million figure the White House gave earlier in the week, before the extra donors were counted.
“A great education does more than prepare someone for work life. It gives something no one can ever take away. There is nothing more powerful we can give a young person than a world-class education”
LSU President Wade Rousse called access a top priority for the university. “Access is a top priority for LSU, because circumstances should not determine whether talent and ambition thrive. MMR Group’s visionary scholarship funding for First Lady Melania Trump’s FOSTERING THE FUTURE is transformative for youth from foster care who aspire to earn an LSU degree,” Rousse said in the statement.
A Game-Day Showcase in Baton Rouge
Mrs. Trump travelled to Baton Rouge for Saturday’s LSU-Alabama football game, and the programme got a stadium-wide showcase. LSU players wore BE BEST Fostering the Future patches on their jerseys, with helmet decals, cheerleader uniforms, mascot attire, fan towels and a ceremonial football also carrying the branding, the White House said.
SEC officials agreed to use a First Lady Melania Trump Challenge Coin for the coin toss. Alabama is a Fostering the Future partner too.
In her remarks, Mrs. Trump put the numbers plainly. Fourteen scholars are at LSU and nine at Alabama, she said, and 26 universities are supporting 100 Fostering the Future scholars this semester.
She also spoke directly to young people who have been in care. “To the Fostering the Future scholars here today, and throughout America: I see you. I believe in you. And I will keep working to create new opportunities with you,” she said.
Fostering the Future is part of Mrs. Trump’s BE BEST initiative. The White House said it has secured $30 million for the Melania Trump Foster Youth to Independence programme, which helps young people leaving foster care with housing and other support, and that 26 governors have pledged to set up Fostering the Future Accounts, a savings and investment scheme for children in care.
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