Lil Durk has announced the development of the Durk Banks Endowment Fund in partnership with Amazon Music. In addition, the rapper is providing two Chicago students with a $50,000 scholarship to attend Howard University.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Durk Banks Endowment Fund Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Durk Banks Endowment Fund Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Durk Banks Endowment Fund
The first two recipients of this grant will be announced today during Lil Durk’s performance at Howard University’s Springfest 2023.
The two students were selected from 20 participants in his Neighborhood Heroes HBCU College & Career Readiness Cohort Program.
Lil Durk donates $250,000 to Howard’s GRACE Grant
In addition to the two individual $50,000 grants, Lil Durk will also donate $250,000 to Howard’s GRACE Grant, a program created to help students who need tuition assistance, according to the university.
The scholarship was established by President Frederick in 2014. In addition, the funding was intended to target students with the greatest financial hardship who wanted to stay in school and graduate with their class.
Since the inception of the GRACE grant, recipients have experienced a 15 percent increase in employee retention and a 78 percent four-year graduation rate — a 32 percent increase compared to those who did not receive funding from the program.
I have received the GRACE grant in my last 2 years with Howard and it has been a BLESSING! https://t.co/9P0XSU03Sw
– Key. (@keptlikeki) October 13, 2021
Lil Durk continues to give back through his Neighborhood Heroes Foundation
Lil Durk is no stranger to giving back and holding it down for his community! In 2022, he announced the launch of his Career Readiness program through his Neighborhood Heroes Foundation. The aim was to change the lives of 20 students.
Through this program, students were given the opportunity to take an HBCU college tour. They were also able to visit various institutions in Atlanta and Alabama. In addition, some of them were invited to New York City to meet executives from Sony, Alamo Records and the New York Knicks, where they could accompany veteran professionals.
One of the students, Semaje Vaughn, gave Durk his flowers. Vaughn said he had no hope for his future until this program.
“I didn’t believe in anything, but having opportunities like this is a huge boost from my previous position.”
Lil Durk and the neighborhood heroes are giving away nearly 30,000 bottles of hand sanitizer to Illinois inmates and staff
If that’s not enough, Lil Durk even had his founding partner in Chicago Votes. The two companies distributed 29,000 bottles of hand sanitizer to the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC), as previously reported by The Shade Room. The distribution helped inmates and facility staff keep their hands clean as COVID-19 rates rose again.
In addition, it was revealed that the problem had been going on for months after a report was released of an acute water crisis at one of Illinois’ largest prisons.
If you know Durk, you know that giving back is in his blood, from supplying Chicago’s essential frontline workers during COVID to providing school supplies to elementary school kids. He’s definitely a valued voice of this generation.
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