Melania Trump on Saturday announced a multimillion-dollar partnership between Louisiana State University and her “Fostering the Future” initiative to provide scholarships for LSU students who have experienced foster care.
“This achievement will give young people from foster care an anchor of stability, a strong educational foundation and a chance to build a wonderful life,” she said during an event with LSU President Wade Rousse.
Trump and LSU raised more than $7 million in private donations to establish an endowment for the scholarships, according to the White House. MMR Group Inc., a Baton Rouge-based electrical contracting company, pledged $5 million, while donors to the LSU Foundation contributed more than $2 million.
The first lady was later scheduled to attend LSU’s football game against Alabama, which is also participating in the initiative.
“As adults, we have a moral obligation to our children, especially those in foster care. But, as you know, we must act to truly make a difference. The foster care community doesn’t need words,” she said. She concluded her brief remarks by adding, “Now, let’s go and enjoy the game.”
Fourteen LSU students and nine Alabama students are currently receiving scholarships through the program, she said. They are part of a broader group of 100 students supported at 26 schools this semester.
The White House said the foster care initiative was being highlighted across the LSU campus and on the field at Tiger Stadium before kickoff.
Rousse presented Trump with an LSU helmet bearing the “Be Best” logo and an LSU jersey featuring the “Be Best” patch. He said every player would wear the patch during the game. The broader “Fostering the Future” initiative grew out of the “Be Best” campaign, which was her signature issue during President Donald Trump’s first term.
“At LSU, we believe talent is everywhere but we understand that opportunity is not,” Rousse said. “That is why access is one of our highest priorities. Students who have experienced foster care have already demonstrated resilience, determination and potential. Our responsibility, our responsibility is to make sure circumstances beyond their control do not stand between them and a life-changing higher educational experience.”
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The first lady began focusing on foster care issues after the Republican president’s first term ended in 2021. She later created “Fostering the Future” to offer resources and support, including scholarships. LSU is one of more than 20 colleges and universities nationwide participating in the program.
Earlier this year, Melania Trump visited Capitol Hill to urge Congress to approve legislation expanding access to services for young people in foster care by updating a decades-old program. The measures passed the House and remain pending in the Senate.
During her appearance, she told members of the House Ways and Means Committee that young people in foster care often face obstacles involving housing, transportation and other issues beyond the classroom. Those challenges can affect their academic performance as well as their prospects for financial independence.
“We can close this gap,” she said in April. “New legislation for the foster care community is a moral imperative.”
Last November, the first lady spearheaded an executive order signed by the president that brought together the federal government, colleges and universities, private companies and charitable organizations to create educational and employment opportunities for people who have experienced foster care.
She also launched “Fostering the Future Together,” an international expansion of the program involving more than 45 countries.
Alabama and LSU are longstanding regional rivals, and both teams entered the week in contention for a College Football Playoff berth. Thousands of people, many of them tailgating before the game, recorded video of the first lady’s motorcade as it traveled across campus.
Donald Trump has attended two previous LSU games as president: one at Alabama in 2019 and another in New Orleans in January 2020, when LSU defeated Clemson to win the national championship. Melania Trump accompanied him to the second game.
The president was not scheduled to attend Saturday’s matchup.
