Key Takeaways
- • First Lady Melania Trump and Louisiana State University have secured $5 million in philanthropic donations to establish a permanent endowment fund for students from foster care to attend LSU.
- • The endowment is part of the Fostering the Future initiative, launched in 2022 and linked to the Be Best campaign she started in May 2018.
- • Roughly 400,000 children are in the U.S. foster care system, and about 20,000 age out each year without a permanent family, according to the Education Department.
- • Only 55 percent of foster youth earn a high school diploma versus 87 percent of the general population, and fewer than 5 percent complete a college degree, per the National Foster Youth Institute.
- • The program will be formally launched from the LSU campus in Baton Rouge on Nov. 7.
Summary
First Lady Melania Trump and Louisiana State University (LSU) have secured $5 million in philanthropic donations to establish a permanent endowment fund supporting students from foster care who attend LSU. The fund is part of the first lady's Fostering the Future initiative, launched in 2022 to support young adults aging out of the foster care system as they prepare for college. It also falls under the Be Best campaign she launched in May 2018 during President Donald Trump's first term, which focuses on children's well-being. The donation creates lasting scholarships at the university.
The article cites Education Department figures that roughly 400,000 children are currently in the U.S. foster care system and about 20,000 age out each year without a permanent family. Data from the National Foster Youth Institute show just 55 percent of young people in foster care earn a high school diploma, compared with 87 percent of the broader population, and fewer than 5 percent go on to complete a college degree. Employment outcomes are also weaker: by age 24, only about half of former foster youth are working, versus roughly 75 percent of their peers, and those who do find jobs typically earn less. Estimates indicate around 20 percent of youth who leave foster care become homeless after aging out.
The first lady will travel to Baton Rouge to formally launch the program from campus on Nov. 7 and is scheduled to attend the LSU Tigers versus Alabama Crimson Tide football game at Tiger Stadium during the visit.
The LSU endowment is the latest step in the Fostering the Future work. In August, she hosted a White House event announcing $2 million in scholarships for foster youth, funded by IndyCar and Fox Sports, to support students at Indiana and Purdue universities. In June, the administration introduced Fostering the Future Accounts with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, extending the Trump Accounts model that provides each newborn with a $1,000 tax-deferred investment start to children in foster care. The broader effort traces to an executive order Trump and the first lady signed at the White House in November 2025 to expand education, career, housing, and other opportunities for youth transitioning out of foster care.
The article cites Education Department figures that roughly 400,000 children are currently in the U.S. foster care system and about 20,000 age out each year without a permanent family. Data from the National Foster Youth Institute show just 55 percent of young people in foster care earn a high school diploma, compared with 87 percent of the broader population, and fewer than 5 percent go on to complete a college degree. Employment outcomes are also weaker: by age 24, only about half of former foster youth are working, versus roughly 75 percent of their peers, and those who do find jobs typically earn less. Estimates indicate around 20 percent of youth who leave foster care become homeless after aging out.
The first lady will travel to Baton Rouge to formally launch the program from campus on Nov. 7 and is scheduled to attend the LSU Tigers versus Alabama Crimson Tide football game at Tiger Stadium during the visit.
The LSU endowment is the latest step in the Fostering the Future work. In August, she hosted a White House event announcing $2 million in scholarships for foster youth, funded by IndyCar and Fox Sports, to support students at Indiana and Purdue universities. In June, the administration introduced Fostering the Future Accounts with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, extending the Trump Accounts model that provides each newborn with a $1,000 tax-deferred investment start to children in foster care. The broader effort traces to an executive order Trump and the first lady signed at the White House in November 2025 to expand education, career, housing, and other opportunities for youth transitioning out of foster care.
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