( ENSPIRE Community Spotlight ) Pass It Forward Campaign Educates Schools on PASS Scholarship Vouchers
ENSPIRE Contributor: Gabrielle Maya
Roc Nation, a company founded by Jay Z, has done philanthropic initiatives in the past, and their latest campaign is to improve youth education for students in Philadelphia. On June 7th, Roc Nation announced the initiative to assist students with scholarships through school vouchers. The funding will be given to underprivileged kids from grades K-12. The Pennsylvania Award for Student Success (PASS) will support lower-wealth areas in Philadelphia.
For those who don’t know, PASS was introduced as Senate Bill 795 in August 2023 by Senator Judy Ward (R-30). When approved, Roc Nation requested $100 million to support students receiving scholarships ranging from $2,500 to $15,000. Students must come from low-income families and be in the lowest 15% of schools on statewide performance tests. According to Roc Nation’s managing director of philanthropy, Dania Diaz, she spoke further about the financial contributions, “One of our pillars is education. Mr. Carter and his Mom had established the Shawn Carter Foundation scholarships, [which has been in] existence for over 20 years providing education opportunities for most underserved students.”
Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court ruled the state’s current school funding system is unconstitutional. Lower-wealth areas in the School District of Philadelphia experienced teacher and staff shortages and maintenance issues, including outdated buildings and no A/C.
Roc Nation launched the “Pass It Forward” campaign to educate the public about the PASS program through “Dine and Learn” events. They held their first two events in Philly communities. These events were held in private schools and educational institutions. Families were educated about the PASS proposal, offered an opportunity to sign a petition to share support with lawmakers, and informed of their options for school choice vouchers. They were also provided dinner, which was fully paid for by Roc Nation. The company previously hosted additional informational sessions from June 10–21 at various locations across the city.
Follow Jay Z on Instagram or visit https://www.rocnation.com/ for more information on PASS and the scholarship contributions in Philadelphia. Click here for more details on the “Pass It Forward” Campaign. View Jay Z’s appearance on Instagram on behalf of Roc Nation for the $300 million scholarship initiative.
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