Jay-Z & Beyoncé Partner With Tiffany & Co. For HBCU Scholarship Program

Celebrity power couple Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter are working with luxury jewelry retailer Tiffany & Co. to provide financial backing for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

According to reports, Jay-Z’s Shawn Carter Foundation and Beyoncé’s BeyGOOD organization partnered with Tiffany & Co. for the About Love Scholarship program for HBCUs.

“We are only as strong as the work we do together, and we are honored to partner with The Carters,” said Anisa Kamadoli Costa, Chief Sustainability Officer of Tiffany & Co. “Their relentless dedication to lifting underrepresented groups is the inspiration for the About Love Scholarship program.”

Together w @shawncartersf, @tiffanyandco and The Carters, we are honored to announce the About Love scholarship.

We pledge USD $2M in scholarship funding for students in the arts and creative fields at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) pic.twitter.com/83q6eLwiGp pic.twitter.com/FXqSDhDm3b
— BeyGOOD (@BeyGood) September 9, 2021

Tiffany & Co. pledged $2 million in scholarship funding for students in the arts and creative fields at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, Norfolk State University in Virginia, Bennett College in North Carolina, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, and Central State University in Ohio.

“We would like to thank the Shawn Carter Foundation, BeyGOOD, The Carters, and the Tiffany & Co. family for including Lincoln University in this amazing gift,” stated Dr. Brenda A. Allen, president of Lincoln University.

Allen added, “Lincoln has placed a high priority on supporting the arts and humanities on our campus. Providing financial support for students pursuing these majors enhances their ability to more fully engage their studies.”

The Application will open at each school on Friday, September 10, and close on Sunday, September 26 at 11:59 PM EST.

We encourage everyone who is eligible to apply 🎓!
— Shawn Carter Foundation (@ShawnCarterSF) September 9, 2021

Central State University President Jack Thomas said “This opportunity is timely as our students come from many different socioeconomic backgrounds. These funds will have a tremendous effect on who we recruit and our students’ success as they move on to graduate from professional schools and into their careers.”

Online applications for the About Love HBCU Scholarship program are open at each institution beginning Friday, September 10 and close on Sunday, September 26 at 11:59 pm ET. Scholarships will be awarded to students who meet eligibility requirements with priority given to individuals in need of emergency financial assistance.

Not everything associated with the alliance between The Carters and Tiffany & Co. was met with positive reactions. Jay-Z and Beyoncé faced backlash for using Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Equals Pi artwork to promote the “About Love” campaign. For example, Alexis Adler, a friend of the late Basquiat, took issue with “the commercialization and commodification of Jean and his art.”