Michael Jordan To Give Grants To Three Black Colleges

Michael Jordan and the Jordan Brand announced a new set of financial initiatives to promote Black Excellence in the United States.

According to a press release, the Jordan Brand has handed out grants to three institutions: Morehouse College, which is a renowned Black College and University; Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture; and Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting.

The institutions will receive the money as follows: $3 million or the Smithsonian over the course of three years; $1 million to Morehouse over the course of two years; $1 million to the Ida B. Wells Society over the course of two years. 

All payments will be fully paid by 2024 and amount to $5 million.

According to the basketball legend, Michael Jordan in a press release, "Education is crucial for understanding the Black experience today. We want to help people understand the truth of our past, and help tell the stories that will shape our future.”

Spike Lee, who happens to be a 1979 graduate of Morehouse College, commended this effort by Michael Jordan. He said that he hopes it inspires other Black celebrities to do the same.

“These grants will be well-spent,” he said in the press release announcement. “There’s going to be a rich legacy of storytellers who will be supported by these programs. Many people are influenced to think a certain way about Black folks based on what they see on television and in Hollywood. We’ve got to tell our story.”

The Ida B. Wells Foundation revealed that the grant will be used to fund opportunities for students who are looking to become investigative journalists, and to provide professional development programs for professional journalists in the field.

The Smithsonian revealed that the grant given to the institution will go into expanding the Museum’s Talking About Race web portal and Let’s Talk speaker series, which helps millions of online visitors explore ways to talk about race and racialized identity.

Michael Jordan, who is unarguably one of the greatest basketball stars of all time, has a net-worth of $1.6 billion, making him one of the wealthiest Black people on earth. Although his entire salary throughout his rich career totaled $90 million, he has earned a generous amount, $1.8 billion (pre-tax) from partnerships with brands like Nike, Hanes and Gatorade.