Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Melania Trump Brings $5 Million Foster Care Scholarship Endowment to LSU

First lady Melania Trump traveled to Baton Rouge on Saturday to announce a partnership between Louisiana State University and her Fostering the Future program. Trump and LSU have secured $5 million to create an endowment fund for scholarships for LSU students who came through the foster care system, the White House said.

The announcement was set for 1 p.m. Central on the LSU campus. The White House said the foster care program would be featured across the campus and on the field at Tiger Stadium just before kickoff of the LSU game against Alabama, which was scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Central. President Donald Trump was not scheduled to attend the game.

The White House provided no details on the source of the $5 million. It also gave no details in the reports published Saturday on how the endowment will be divided among students once the scholarships begin.

A program built after the first term

Melania Trump started working on foster care issues after President Trump's first term ended in 2021. She created Fostering the Future to provide resources and support, including scholarships, for young people who have been in foster care. LSU is among more than 20 colleges and universities nationwide that participate in the program, according to her website.

She also created Fostering the Future Together, a global version of the program with more than 45 participating countries.

The push in Congress

Earlier this year, the first lady 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.

During that appearance, 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 the classroom that affect their performance in school and their future financial independence. "We can close this gap," she said in April. "New legislation for the foster care community is a moral imperative."

Last November, she spearheaded an executive order signed by the president linking the federal government, colleges and universities, the private sector and charitable groups to create educational and employment opportunities for people in foster care.

Game day in Baton Rouge

Alabama and LSU are historical regional rivals, and both teams entered the week in contention for a College Football Playoff berth. Donald Trump has attended two prior LSU games as president, one at Alabama in 2019 and one in New Orleans in January 2020, when LSU defeated Clemson for the national championship. Melania Trump accompanied him to the second game. He was not scheduled to attend on Saturday, and the visit to Baton Rouge was the first lady's trip alone.