Mary J. Blige’s giving heart is a big as her talent.
The legendary singer, actress and entrepreneur will reportedly give $30k to a deserving Hampton University student.
Per a Yahoo Finance report, the award is renewable up to one year or until a bachelor’s degree is earned, whichever occurs first, because of satisfactory academic performance (maintaining a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale), and full-time enrollment in an eligible major at Hampton University, per the program’s site.
The funding is a part of the Strength of a Woman scholarship program Blige launched in partnership with PepsiCo. An extension of the ‘Strength Of A Woman’ banner, it was spurred from her 13th studio album that was released in 2017. Blige also recently launched the inaugural Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit that focused holistic empowerment for women that touched all parts of their lives including wellness, tech, beauty, financial literacy, and business development.
“I’m so excited to bring our Strength of a Woman Festival & Summit back to Atlanta for its second year,” said Blige in a statement. “Having the opportunity to continue to uplift, inspire, and build amongst a community of women is the reason why we created this festival. I’m so grateful for all of the support from our performers and participants and of course Live Nation Urban, Pepsi and our additional partners who are committed to celebrating and creating community for Black women.” She continued, “I mean, it’s extremely important to have a heavy hitter partner like Pepsi supporting you, and they have been super supportive. We don’t know if the festival could be this successful if it weren’t for them. I hope and pray that we have them again, it’s a huge name, and they bring and give so much; it’s amazing.”