Jay-Z backs private school vouchers for children in Philadelphia
Jay-Z's record label, Roc Nation, is throwing its weight behind free private school vouchers for children in under-performing schools in Philadelphia.
The 54-year-old music mogul's company is helping to raise funds for the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success, which uses taxpayer money to fund the scholarships for low-income families and children in low-rated schools.
Roc Nation Managing Director of Philanthropy Dania Diaz said: “We have enjoyed such a special connection with Philadelphians, so we’ve made it our mission to invest in the long-term success of the city’s changemakers."
The 'Encore' rapper hosts his Made in America festival in Pennsylvania.
Last year, the record producer hosted an "incredibly exclusive" blackjack party with a prize pot of $1 million, all to raise money for his REFORM Alliance organisation - a non-profit which aims to change probation and parole laws - by staging the 'Casino Royale'-themed party in Atlantic City, where players paid $100,000 as a buy-in for the gambling games, while non-players shelved out $50,000 for their tickets.
Meanwhile, Jay and his superstar wife Beyonce pledged $2 million to fund college scholarships in 2021.
The couple - who have daughter Blue Ivy, 12, and twins Rumi and Sir, six, together - teamed up with Tiffany and Co. to fund places at five historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) via their charities BeyGOOD and Shawn Carter Foundation as part of their About Love campaign.
Tiffany and Co. Chief Sustainability Officer Anisa Kamadoli Costa praised the power couple for: "Their relentless dedication to lifting underrepresented groups is the inspiration for the About Love Scholarship programme."
The funds went to Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, Norfolk State University in Virginia, Bennett College in North Carolina, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff in Arkansas, and Central State University in Ohio.
