Source: Frazer Harrison / Getty
Lil Durk is giving back through a new partnership with Amazon Music creating an endowment for students to receive scholarships to HBCUs, including Howard University.
The Chicago native announced last Friday (April 14th) that he has created the Durk Banks Endowment Fund in partnership with his Neighborhood Heroes 501(c)(3)non-profit group which he founded and Rotation, the HIp-Hop & R&B brand from Amazon Music. He let his fans know through social media. “I’m the voice this the part they don’t show, I appreciate all the kids who struggling to finish school and needed this blessing,” he wrote.
The fund awarded a $50,000 scholarship to two students from Chicago who’re set to enroll in Howard University in Washington D.C. this fall. “I feel it’s my responsibility to reach back to the kids—especially those that are growing up in my community,” says the rapper in a press release. “These kids have to be our biggest investment as they’re our future leaders. They are destined for greatness and I’m encouraging others to join my team’s efforts to help pave their way.”
In addition to the scholarships, Lil Durk also donated $250,000 directly to Chicago-area students who are receiving Howard’s Graduation Retention Access to Continued Excellence (GRACE) Grant. This fund is to assist students with financial support to alleviate financial burdens so they can stay in school and graduate on time. “For me to boost them up and get them to the next level, it was like a no-brainer,” he stated in an interview with Billboard. “And this scholarship was a super-no-brainer for me. For me and my team, having my own scholarship is like a Grammy.”
The “Hellcats and Trackstars” artist also was the headliner for Howard’s Springfest over the past weekend and paid $100,000 towards a trip taken by 20 high school students from his hometown to visit the university. “We are incredibly grateful to be the recipients of such generous support from Lil Durk, the Neighborhood Heroes Foundation, and Amazon Music,” adds Cynthia Evers, Ph.D., Vice President for Student Affairs at Howard University in the press release. “Not only did they lend their support to the premier event run by and for Howard University students, but they also left a lasting impression by offering a gift that will continue to benefit Howard students for a long time to come.”
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