Embattled rapper Travis Scott has announced the launch of a multitiered community initiative in which he will pump in millions of his own money.
Scott, 30, who was born in Houston under the name Jacques Berman Webster, is kick-starting the campaign called Project HEAL, which will help subsidize certain students’ higher education, as well as music creatives and others.
The “Highest in the Room” lyricist is doling out $5 million of his own money, including $1M toward scholarships for high-performing students who attend historically Black colleges and universities. The criteria are steep as it is going to be earmarked for HBCU students who maintain a 3.5 GPA or higher.
The remaining $4 million will go towards other important issues, particularly for children in need of mental health assistance which will be dispersed through the Cactus Jack Foundation.
With a bit of an ironic twist, Scott will also donate money to the U.S. Conference of Mayor’s Task Force on Event Safety to come up with more ways to ensure concertgoers’ safety.
The last initiative, of course, will invoke memories of the tragic Astroworld concert festival in Houston in November 2022 where 10 people lost their lives and scores more were injured, many critically or permanently. Scott talked about his arduous journey toward healing from that traumatic experience and how cathartic it is to give back to the community he emanated from.
“Over the past few months I’ve been taking the time and space to grieve, reflect and do my part to heal my community,” Scott penned for his 44 million Instagram followers.
“While it’s easy for corporations and institutions to stay in the shadows, I feel as a leader in my community, I need to step up in times of need,” Scott continued. “I will always honor the victims of the Astroworld tragedy who remain in my heart forever.”
