Melania Trump Announces $7.2M Foster Care Scholarship Fund at LSU
First lady Melania Trump traveled to Baton Rouge on Saturday, Nov. 7, to announce a $7.2 million scholarship endowment at Louisiana State University for students who have been through the foster care system, just before LSU's big matchup against Alabama.
The permanent fund is part of her "Fostering the Future" initiative, which aims to expand educational opportunities for young people who grew up in foster care, Fox News reported.
Where the Money Comes From
MMR Group, a Baton Rouge electrical contracting company led by LSU alumnus James B. "Pepper" Rutland, committed $5 million. About $2.2 million more came from 75 LSU Foundation donors.
LSU Foundation President and CEO Krista Raney said the fund had reached "more than $7.2 million and growing."
Because the money is invested as an endowment, it will not be handed out all at once. Instead, a portion of the earnings will fund scholarships each year, WAFB reported. LSU President Wade Rousse said the $5 million gift alone should generate roughly $200,000 a year to help cover tuition, fees, books, and room and board.
"I See You. I Believe in You."
"This achievement will give young people from foster care an anchor of stability," Melania Trump said at the announcement. "A great education does more than prepare someone for work life. It gives something no one can ever take away."
She also spoke directly to the students in the program. "To the Fostering the Future scholars here today, and throughout America: I see you. I believe in you," she said.
Rousse echoed that message. "At LSU, we believe talent is everywhere, but we understand that opportunity is not," he said. "Our responsibility is to make sure circumstances beyond their control do not stand between them and a life-changing higher educational experience."
The need is significant. About 3% of former foster youth earn a college degree, according to a National Foster Youth Institute estimate cited on the initiative's website.
A Growing Program
According to the first lady, 26 colleges and universities are supporting 100 Fostering the Future scholars this semester. LSU has 14 scholars in the program, while Alabama has nine.
"So I think that means we've already won the first point," Raney joked.
Melania Trump launched Fostering the Future in 2021 as an offshoot of "Be Best," her signature platform during her husband's first term. Last November, she spearheaded an executive order, signed by the president, connecting the federal government, colleges, businesses and charities to create education and job opportunities for people in foster care.
Earlier this year, she urged Congress to pass a package expanding services for foster youth, telling lawmakers that young people leaving foster care face barriers to housing and transportation. The bill cleared the House and is pending in the Senate, according to American Press.
The foster care push is one of several causes for the first lady, who recently joined the president in launching a new women's health task force.
Game Day at Tiger Stadium
The celebration carried over to the game. LSU players wore the "Be Best" logo on their helmets and uniforms, fans received white "Be Best" towels, and a commemorative coin bearing her name was used for the coin toss. A B-52 bomber and a stealth bomber flew over Tiger Stadium before kickoff.
Rousse presented her with an LSU helmet featuring the "Be Best" logo and a purple-and-gold jersey with "MELANIA" and the number 14, representing the school's 14 scholars. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise visited her suite during the game.
The night did not end the way LSU fans hoped, as No. 9 Alabama beat No. 15 LSU 31-13. Still, the first lady called it "a successful day, incredible game."
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