First Lady Melania Trump traveled to Baton Rouge on Saturday to announce a partnership between Louisiana State University and her "Fostering the Future" program that will provide scholarships for LSU students who have experienced foster care.
The White House said Trump and LSU secured $5 million to create a permanent endowment fund for the scholarships. The White House provided no details on the source of the money.
The foster care program was scheduled to be announced at a campus event at 2 p.m. Eastern, and featured across the LSU campus in Baton Rouge as well as on the field at Tiger Stadium just before kickoff of the LSU-Alabama football game. The first lady also planned to attend the game in the afternoon.
The first lady began working on foster care issues after President Donald Trump's first term ended in 2021, and created "Fostering the Future" to provide resources and support, including scholarships, for young people leaving the foster care system. LSU is among more than 20 colleges and universities nationwide that participate in the program.
In August, she hosted a White House event to announce $2 million in scholarships for foster youth, funded by IndyCar and Fox Sports, to support students at Indiana University and Purdue University. The wider effort follows an executive order signed by President Trump in November 2025 aimed at strengthening foster care support nationwide.
