Travis Scott has laid low since the tragedy that took place at Astroworld Festival back in November. In the four months since, the rapper has delivered an interview about the incident, celebrated the birth of his second child with Kylie Jenner, and received a lawsuit over allegedly stolen cover art. Now he’s doing some good for the community. According to TMZ, Travis has announced Project HEAL, a philanthropic endeavor that will launch community-based initiatives. In addition to the announcement, Travis will also donate $5 million to these causes.
The new project will provide support for students, creatives, music fans, and concertgoers. $1 million from his donation will go towards HBCU scholarships. This will be done through his Waymon Webster Scholarship Fund, which provides support for Black students.
The remaining $4 million will go towards the Project HEAL initiative, where it will be divided towards numerous causes. One of them includes the creation of a free mental health program for children, which will be spearheaded by Houston-based behavioral health expert Dr. Janice Beal. Travis will also expand his creative design program through his Cactus Jack Foundation thanks to a seven-figure expansion of the CACT.US Youth Design Center at TXRX Labs in Houston. A press release for the center describes it as a “nonprofit makerspace for young artists, designers, tech innovators, including free studio space, work space, tool spaces, job and apprenticeship training, youth education and events.”
Travis will also donate money to the U.S. Conference of Mayors Task Force on Event Safety with the goal of making sure that fans remain protected at concerts. It’s part of a collaborative effort to ensure maximum safety at large-scale events and will lead to a “comprehensive report of recommendations.” In the press release for Project HEAL, Travis Scott shared a statement about the new endeavor.
“My grandfather was an educator who made a difference in thousands of young lives throughout his life,” he said. “He is a major influence on me and countless others, whose dreams he believed in, whose hopes he invested in, and whose futures he made big. It’s in his spirit that we are creating projects and programs that will look to the future of our communities and create hope and excellence in as many lives as possible.”