UPDATED 3/8, 7:19 p.m. ET: After announcing his Project HEAL initiative, Travis Scott took to Instagram to share a lengthy message about the philanthropic endeavor and how Astroworld Festival victims will be in his “heart forever.”
“My team and I created Project HEAL to take much needed action towards supporting real solutions that make all events the safest spaces they can possibly be,” Scott wrote. “I will always honor the victims of the Astroworld tragedy who remain in my heart forever.
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Travis Scott has announced his new philanthropic endeavor Project HEAL, which will support community-based initiatives, and is donating $5 million to the cause.
With the project, per TMZ, Scott will advocate for students, creatives, music fans, and concertgoers. $1 million of his initial donation will go to HBCU scholarships, potentially through his Waymon Webster Scholarship Fund. That fund has provided financial support for Black students. Scott and his team hope to support at least 100 students with the new funds; students have to be seniors with a 3.5 GPA or higher.
Travis’ other $4 million for Project HEAL will be divided between several ventures including launching a free mental health program for children, led by Houston-based behavioral health expert, Dr. Janice Beal. He’ll also be broadening his creative design program through his Cactus Jack Foundation with a seven-figure expansion of the CACT.US Youth Design Center at TXRX Labs in Houston, which a press release describes as a “nonprofit makerspace for young artists, designers, tech innovators, including free studio space, work space, tool spaces, job and apprenticeship training, youth education and events.”
Scott is also donating money to the U.S. Conference of Mayors Task Force on Event Safety to help ensure fans remain protected at concerts. It’s part of a collaborative effort to ensure maximum safety at large-scale events, and will culminate in a “comprehensive report of recommendations.”
“My grandfather was an educator who made a difference in thousands of young lives throughout his life,” Scott said in a statement. “He is a major influence on me and countless others, whose dreams he believed in, whose hopes he invested in, and whose futures he made big. It’s in his spirit that we are creating projects and programs that will look to the future of our communities and create hope and excellence in as many lives as possible.”
Scott’s sister, Jordan Webster, echoed Scott’s sentiments. “I know personally how deeply important my grandfather’s academic legacy at HBCUs is to Travis and to my entire family – my twin brother Josh also attends an HBCU, at Prairie View A&M University, “ Webster, who’s a project manager at the Cactus Jack Foundation’s HBCU Program, said. “Travis creates hope and makes a real difference to 100 of our HBCU peers who will be able to graduate without going into crushing debt. As a third generation HBCU student, I cannot be prouder to partner with Travis on the second year of this exceptional initiative.”
It’s been four months since the Astroworld Festival tragedy, which led to the deaths of 10 people and hundreds of injuries. Since then, Scott has been hit with thousands of cases, some of which have been consolidated into one large case. In February, it was announced that almost 400 festival lawsuits that were filed individually would be combined. Those cases represented almost 2,800 alleged victims.
According to TMZ, this is the first time the Houston native has publicly announced a philanthropic effort since his festival in November.
