Ever since the early days of her international pop stardom, Rihanna has always been passionate about giving back. In 2012, she launched the Clara Lionel Foundation, named for her grandparents Clara and Lionel Braithwaite.
Rihanna recently announced the foundation’s newly created Global Scholarship Program. The program provides financial assistance to American college hopefuls living in Barbados, Brazil, Cuba, Haiti, Guyana, Jamaica, and the U.S.
“To be able to give the gift of an education is actually an honor,” Rihanna said in a statement.
The Clara Lionel Foundation also released a promotional video about the new program.
“A lot of these kids, they’re really smart and they’re doing really well in school,” said Rihanna. “But they may not have the access or the financial stability to take it any further than that. That’s why we started this program.”
The Clara Lionel Foundation, which has raised tens of millions of dollars over the years, was created to help promote global programs in health, education, arts and culture. Current projects include the Clara Braithwaite Center for Oncology and Nuclear Medicine at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Barbados, the Clara Lionel Foundation Global Scholarship Program and the Barbados Micro Grants for Schools Program.