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Jay-Z's scholarship foundation has awarded over 2,700 grants to students

By · Via Times of India · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The Shawn Carter Foundation reached this milestone after distributing 324 grants for the 2025–26 academic year. Eligible recipients include high school seniors, GED holders, undergraduates, and vocational trade students who demonstrate financial need and personal resilience. In addition to tuition, the funding covers vital day-to-day living expenses such as transportation, food, and laundry. To retain their benefits, students must actively participate in mentorship and community service.

Key points

  • The charity was established to aid students whose circumstances or academic records exclu…: The charity was established to aid students whose circumstances or academic records exclude them from merit-based aid.
  • Scholars must maintain eligibility by participating in community service and mentoring yo…: Scholars must maintain eligibility by participating in community service and mentoring younger students.
  • Beyond financial grants, the initiative provides professional development, wealth-buildin…: Beyond financial grants, the initiative provides professional development, wealth-building programs, and study-abroad opportunities.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

For more than two decades, Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter and his mother, Dr Gloria Carter, have worked to remove one of the biggest obstacles between talented young people and higher education: Money. Their Shawn Carter Foundation says it has now made more than 2,700 scholarship awards since it began, including 324 awards during the 2025-26 academic year. The figures, shared through the foundation’s newsletter, underline how a family-led effort launched in 2003 has grown into a sustained national support system for students facing economic hardship. Read more details about it here:

A foundation born from experience

The Shawn Carter Foundation was founded by Jay-Z and Gloria Carter in 2003 with a clear purpose: To help motivated students who lack the financial means to pursue education beyond high school. Gloria Carter has been central to the organisation’s mission, arguing that many capable young people are overlooked because their grades, circumstances or family finances do not fit conventional scholarship models.

The foundation was created on the belief that financial need should not determine whether a person can continue learning. Its programmes have expanded…

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