Shawn Mendes is less than two weeks removed from the release of his fourth album, Wonder, which topped the Billboard albums chart, making it his fourth straight debut at No. 1. He also became the youngest male artist to top the charts with four full-length albums at just 22 years old. Now Mendes is ready to give back to the community. The Shawn Mendes Foundation announced that they will partner with Google to give the first set of his Wonder Grants to up-and-coming creatives.
The grants aim to empower the youth by launching their projects in various fields, including music, film, education, science, environment, and technology. Google also plans to give the recipients the latest technology from the company. “I’m grateful to be able to provide grants through my Foundation, with Google’s support, to young leaders who are on the ground innovating change,” Mendes said in a press statement. “I am so inspired by their work and want to continue to empower young people daring to wonder in the service of others.”
The @shawnfoundation & I are partnering with @google to give out a 1st set of Wonder Grants to youth making positive change. Each grantee will receive a cash grant + google product to support their work. This is @fantaratty4, an incredible poet & one of the first recipients
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— Shawn Mendes (@ShawnMendes) December 15, 2020
The singer’s foundation has already picked five Wonder Grant recipients. Mendes shared a video to his social media pages of the first recipient, Fanta Ballo from Harlem, New York, reciting one of her poems. The remaining four winners will be announced on the foundation’s Instagram page in 2021.