Melania Trump, LSU announce $5M scholarship fund for foster kids
Melania Trump delivers "Fostering the Future" address
First Lady Melania Trump delivered remarks in September on expanding her Fostering the Future Together initiative at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
First lady Melania Trump will be in Louisiana Saturday night to announce a $5 million scholarship program for foster kids to attend Louisiana State University.
The new fund is a partnership between LSU and the first lady’s "Fostering the Future" program. Melania Trump will also attend the LSU-Alabama football game at Tiger Stadium. President Trump is not planning to join her.
Melania Trump-LSU partnership
What we know:
Trump and LSU secured $5 million to create an endowment fund for scholarships. The scholarships will be awarded to kids who came up in the foster system.
The new foster care program will be featured across the LSU campus in Baton Rouge as well as on the field at Tiger Stadium just before kickoff, the White House said.
US First Lady Melania Trump arrives to speak while hosting Ukrainian and Russian representatives in the Grand Foyer of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. Photographer: Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images
What we don't know:
The White House didn’t say where they got the $5 million.
Melania Trump’s ‘Fostering the Future’ program
Big picture view:
The first lady started working on foster care issues after her husband’s first term ended in 2021. She created "Fostering the Future" to provide resources and support, including scholarships. LSU is among more than 20 colleges and universities nationwide that participate in the program.
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Earlier this year, Melania Trump was on Capitol Hill to push Congress to pass a legislative package that would broaden access to services for young people in foster care by updating a decades-old program. The measures cleared the House and are pending in the Senate.
What they're saying:
She told members of the House Ways and Means Committee that young people in foster care face barriers to housing, transportation and other challenges outside of the classroom that affect their performance in school along with their future financial independence.
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"We can close this gap," she said in April. "New legislation for the foster care community is a moral imperative."
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Last November, the first lady spearheaded an executive order signed by the Republican president linking the federal government, colleges and universities, the private sector and charitable groups to create educational and employment opportunities for those in foster care.
She also created "Fostering the Future Together," a global version of the program with more than 45 participating countries.
The Source: This article includes information from The Associated Press and previous FOX Local reporting.