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Travis Scott's Foundation Is Giving $1 Million in Scholarships to 100 HBCU Students

HOUSTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 05: Travis Scott performs onstage during the third annual Astroworld Festival at NRG Park on November 05, 2021 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Rick Kern/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 05: Travis Scott performs onstage during the third annual Astroworld Festival at NRG Park on November 05, 2021 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Rick Kern/Getty Images)

Rick Kern/Getty

Travis Scott is helping relieve a portion of the financial burden from college graduates across the country.

On Tuesday, Scott's Cactus Jack Foundation announced that it had awarded $1 million in scholarships to students from 38 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) this year. The sum was divided and distributed to 100 students.

The scholarship is named for Scott's grandfather Waymon Webster, who himself was an HBCU educator at Prairie View A&M University — where he was also a student.

"With Scott's support, the Waymon Webster Scholarship Fund granted $10,000 scholarships to seniors who have reached academic excellence (averaging 3.5 or higher GPA) but have faced the all-too-common last-minute challenge of financial adversity in the second semester of their senior year," according to a news release. "The scholarships will bring 100 students over the finish line, diploma in hand."

This is the second year that Scott has supported HBCUs, the organization said, representing a tenfold increase.

RELATED: Travis Scott Makes First Televised Performance Since Astroworld Tragedy at 2022 Billboard Music Awards

Jordan Webster, Scott's sister, serves as project manager for the Cactus Jack Foundation's Waymon Webster Scholarship Fund and just last week graduated from Howard University in Washington D.C.

"I know personally how deeply important my grandfather's academic legacy at HBCUs is to my entire family — to Travis, as well as my twin brother Josh who is at Prairie View A&M University — and now, to 100 people that Travis has been able to help out at a tough time," Webster said in a statement. "It means the world to me to be able to work with my brother as he creates hope and makes a real difference for our peers and their families."

Nisha Encarnacion, one of this year's scholarship recipients, shared that the money has helped relieve some of the financial burden she's faced after 8 years of schooling to achieve her pharmacy degree.

"I struggled financially throughout college and this scholarship will help me get out of some of my debt and some of my student loans," Encarnacion said in a video. "Also it will help my family as my mom solely depends on me and I have a daughter. ... I am so grateful for this scholarship."

Another recipient of the scholarship, Jordan Massey, shared too his gratitude toward Scott and the foundation. He said that after moving to North Carolina from Maryland for school, he and his family have had lot of school related expenses.

"...As far as traveling back and forth, textbooks, educational materials and equipment as well as just the financial struggle that it was on my family coming from a single parent household and with that I have incurred a lot of outstanding debts," he said in a video. "And I believe that this scholarship money will help me to repay some of those debts and just really help alleviate some of that stress off of my family."

Scott, 30, said that this is just the beginning of the work he and his family will do to continue helping students.

"Excellence abounds in every Black household, but too often opportunity does not — and Black students are left behind or counted out," he said in a statement. "So that's what my family and I set out to change. We congratulate all 100 scholarship recipients this year. I know we will see great things from them — and we are already looking forward to increasing our work next year."

2022 Billboard Music Awards - Arrivals
2022 Billboard Music Awards - Arrivals

Frazer Harrison/Getty Travis Scott

RELATED: Almost 5,000 People Were Injured During Astroworld Tragedy, Victims Claim in New Court Filing

The rapper has begun to step back into the spotlight just over six months after the Astroworld festival tragedy that left 10 dead and hundreds injured.

On Sunday the "Lost Forever" rapper performed at the Billboard Music Awards marking his first television performance since the tragedy in November. Prior to his BBMAs performance, Scott got onstage last week with Migos' Quavo during the Miami Grand Prix weekend at E11Even Miami.

Meanwhile, new court filings recently revealed how many concertgoers were allegedly injured at the festival. According to Rolling Stone, attorneys said that along with the 10 deaths, nearly 5,000 people were injuried at the festival.

Scott requested the dismissal of multiple lawsuits against him in December 2021. In the filings, the rapper and his company "generally" denied the allegations made in the suits.