Toronto Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet is partnering with Rotman Commerce at the University of Toronto to create a new scholarship for Black or Indigenous students.
The “Fred VanVleet Scholarship” will provide four years of tuition and a $1,000 stipend each year for books to an undergraduate student, based on financial need with a preference to those with an interest in the management.
“This is to create a possibility and light for those who have faced bias, who haven’t had the same chances as others. It’s important to provide opportunities to those who opportunity usually ignores, or works against, or excludes,” VanVleet said. “Academia hasn’t traditionally been an inclusive place for many of us, and so it’s important to make space specifically for people who want to learn, but who are facing barriers that others do not.”
Along with the financial commitment, VanVleet is also committed to mentoring the selected recipient and the award is renewable based on continued enrollment in the Rotman Commerce program and maintaining good academic standing.
This is just one of the many initiatives VanVleet has been working on in Toronto as he partnered with Penny Appeal Canada to launch “Heart of the City,” a new initiative aimed at aiding at-risk communities in Toronto. Through this project, VanVleet has been handing out backpacks to students in the Toronto area.
For the Raptors guard, the ability to provide an opportunity that might not be there for a student was front and centre with this initiative.
“Success looks like whatever you want it to look like, and that may change over the course of your career — both academic and professional,” VanVleet said. “No one expects an 18-year-old kid to know exactly what path they’ll take. But this scholarship will that 18-year-old kid to take on experiences and information that will give them the power to shape their own future and decide their own destiny.”
