Gloria Carter. Source: Thaddaeus McAdams / Getty
With the Shawn Carter Foundation, Jay Z’s mother Gloria Carter’s focus is to send youth to college. Many high schoolers with low grade point averages (GPAs) don’t think going to college is a feasible goal. High GPAs help secure scholarships and grants. No matter how low their GPA is, the Carters make sure college dreams can become a reality.
“There are a lot of young people who have low GPAs,” Gloria Carter told rolling out. “A lot of those people don’t even get looks for financial assistance.”
She added, “We can help those kids who can’t get any help.”
Gloria Carter and Jay Z founded the Shawn Carter Foundation in 2003. Their programs for the youth include: a scholarship fund, professional development, college prep and exposure, international exposure, scholar support and community and goodwill programs.
The program’s focus is young people who come from low-income communities and lack resources. Since Jay Z grew up in the same kind of environment, he went into a life of crime before becoming one of hip-hop’s biggest stars. Their foundation helps to keep kids on the right path.
“The underserved have so many problems,” Carter told USA Today. “Sometimes they need someone to give them a hand.”
Executive director Diana Diaz told USA Today that they make kids who feel forgotten feel seen.
“We have kids who act as the moms and dads of their families, kids who are products of the foster care system, kids who were in prison,” she said. “They still want to pursue a further education, whether it’s at a four-year institution or a community college or vocational school.”
Carter said it’s crucial to make sure the students know that they can get the necessary monies despite their school performance.
“There’s so many people that have a desire to go to college, but they can’t get the funding. With me taking on this responsibility, we make dreams come true,” Carter told ESSENCE in 2020.
Thanks to the Shawn Carter Foundation, program participants were able to graduate from historically Black colleges and universities like Howard University, Virginia State University, Clark Atlanta University, North Carolina A&T University and Howard University.
