Google invests $100k into scholarships for students in the US

24 Apr 2018

Google has announced it will offer four scholarships worth US$25,000 each to students at historically black colleges and universities to match Beyoncé’s recent philanthropy.

The technology giant is offering the scholarships to Texas Southern University, Fisk University, Grambling State University and Morehouse College, under the Homecoming Scholars Award Program Beyoncé announced on the back of her Coachella performance, according to the Huffington Post.

The scholarships are open to all students studying literature, creative arts, African-American studies, science, education, business, communications, social sciences, computer science and engineering, as long as their GPA is 3.5 or above.

Beyoncé offered four scholarships to Xavier University, Wilberforce University, Tuskegee University and Bethune-Cookman University.

Today, @beyonce, BeyGOOD, and @Google announce an exciting new partnership that will benefit 4 additional HBCUs through the Homecoming Scholars Award Program: https://t.co/doI9xkZDkA pic.twitter.com/QwZhDHtPfu

— BeyGOOD (@BeyGood) April 23, 2018

The eight universities which initially educated black student before the 1964 Civil Rights Act will each choose one student to receive the scholarship this summer.

A Google spokesperson said the organization appreciates the “vital role” that HBCUs play in “delivering a high quality and culturally responsive education”.

“We salute the rich legacy of Historically Black Colleges and Universities,” a media release quoted Parkwood Entertainment’s Director of Philanthropy and Corporate Relations Ivy McGregor as saying.

“We honor all institutions of higher learning for maintaining culture and creating environments for optimal learning which expands dreams and the seas of possibilities for students.”

Both Google and Beyoncé have a history of investing money in education.

Beyoncé created a scholarship programme for black women studying creative arts, music, literature or African-American studies at Berklee College of Music, Parsons School of Design, Howard University and Spelman College to mark the release of her visual album Lemonade.

And as for Google? They invested US$1 billion into technology education in October 2017 alone, providing 2,600 full scholarships through non-profit organizations to train students in Artificial Intelligence.

Beyoncé and Google are now encouraging other companies to “to join us in this commitment to higher education and investment in the future”.