WASHINGTON—IndyCar and Fox Sports announced Thursday at the White House that they are making a $2 million donation to fund scholarships at Purdue University and Indiana University as part of first lady Melania Trump’s Fostering the Future initiative.
The donation, which will go toward scholarships for youth aging out of foster care, was unveiled in front of the first lady and President Donald Trump in the afternoon in the Rose Garden. These mark the 25th and 26th schools to join the Fostering the Future scholarship network around the country.
“Today, Indiana University and Purdue University join Fostering the Future’s growing coast-to-coast alliance of leading academic institutions. Congratulations and thank you,” the first lady said. “Together, they expand a national network of 26 universities that prepare our foster youth to shape America’s growth.”
“Tomorrow, thanks to visionary partners such as IndyCar and Fox, Fostering the Future graduates will build new companies, launch new industries and redefine what is possible for all Americans,” she added. “Fostering the Future is more than an educational initiative; it is generational investment in America’s talent pipeline.”
Fox Sports President and Executive Producer Eric Shanks expressed that the company “is honored” to support Fostering the Future scholarships.
“On behalf of Fox Corporation and our entire team at Fox Sports, we are extremely excited to partner with First Lady Melania Trump and her visionary Fostering the Future Initiative,” Shanks said.
“Fox is honored to provide scholarship funding at Indiana University and also Purdue University, alongside our partners at IndyCar, to ensure that foster youth have the tools and support to build bright futures. Mrs. Trump, thank you for your leadership in opening these critical doors,” he added.
IndyCar President Doug Boles echoed the first lady and stressed the importance of investing in America’s youth.
“Fostering the Future, like an IndyCar pit crew, provides tools, support, and resources along the entire path of foster care, and especially when foster children age out of the foster care system. Funding higher-level education is one of the biggest challenges,” he said. “And as the first lady said, education and investing in our youth is so important.”
“This partnership with Fostering the Future will open doors for our youth and honor two great educational institutions in our home state, Indiana University and Purdue University, by providing scholarships to allow these young adults to continue their education at these world-class institutions,” he added.
Fostering the Future scholarships are just one aspect of the first lady multi-pillar approach to helping foster children transition to adulthood. She has also established Fostering the Future investment accounts that the children can access when they become adults, and has secured funding for housing for when they transition to adulthood. She is also championing the Fostering the Future Act in Congress which aims to improve outcomes for children aging out of foster care.