Melania Trump, LSU announce $7.2M foster youth scholarships

As of 8:43 p.m. ET, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026

First lady Melania Trump announced Saturday, Nov. 7, that Louisiana State University has secured $7.2 million to create a permanent endowment for "Fostering the Future" scholarships for LSU students who have been in foster care, according to LSU and the White House.

The announcement came at an event on the Baton Rouge campus before LSU's home football game against Alabama, The Advocate and AP reported.

Where the money comes from

MMR Group, a Baton Rouge electrical and instrumentation contractor founded and led by LSU alumnus and former Tigers football player James B. "Pepper" Rutland, committed $5 million to set up the fund, LSU said. The university said 75 other LSU Foundation donors contributed to match the gift, bringing the endowment to "$7.2 million and growing." The Advocate and Fox News, citing speakers at the event, put the other donors' share at $2.2 million. AP, citing the White House, said the money came from private donations.

What it pays for

LSU said the fund, named the MMR Fostering the Future Endowed Scholarship, is expected to generate about $288,000 a year for eligible students. LSU President Wade Rousse put the figure at roughly $200,000 a year at the event, The Advocate reported. The scholarships can cover tuition, fees, books and room and board, Rousse said, according to The Advocate.

"A great education does more than prepare someone for work life. It gives something no one can ever take away," Mrs. Trump said, according to the White House. At the event, she said the fund "will give young people from foster care an anchor of stability, a strong educational foundation and a chance to build a wonderful life," AP reported.

Rutland said in LSU's release that students who have been part of the foster care system "will have the resources to earn their degrees and pursue everything in life that a strong education makes possible."

The wider program

Fostering the Future, part of the first lady's Be Best initiative, launched in 2021 and works with 26 colleges and universities, the White House said. LSU became a partner school in early 2026, and an earlier commitment from Zoom is paying tuition, fees and books for 14 LSU students this fall, according to the university.

Mrs. Trump said Alabama, also a partner school, has nine scholars, and that 26 universities are supporting 100 Fostering the Future scholars this semester, according to the White House.