Dillard to receive BEYGood Foundation grant to support public health education

The Louisiana Weekly Staff Reports — A world-class tour, a Superdome filled with fans clad in shimmering silver outfits, and tons of social media attention weren’t the only things Beyoncé brought to the Crescent City last week.

BeyGOOD Foundation, the non-profit organization founded by the Queen Bee herself to focus on economic equity and education, has selected Dillard University as a recipient of $100,000 in funding to create scholarships specifically focused on public health.

The announcement was made by BeyGOOD Foundation’s executive director, Ivy McGregor, during the last Black Parade Route luncheon on September 26. “With all that is happening in our world – we need to also focus on equity as it relates to our health and wellbeing,” McGregor said.

Dillard University, a private four-year liberal arts, faith-based institution located in New Orleans, and oldest historically Black university in Louisiana, offers 22 bachelor’s degrees and two certificates in the disciplines of Business, Health and Wellness, the Humanities, Nursing, STEM, and Social Sciences, with a student body that hails from 33 states and 12 countries.

According to a press release released by the university, the funding will propel Dillard’s “vision to advance healthy, safe, and innovative communities and its mission to cultivate leaders who live ethically, think and communicate precisely, and act courageously to make the world a better place.”

The university’s vision seems to align directly with that of the BeyGOOD Foundation, which focuses on economic equity through support of marginalized and under-resourced programs. The foundation does this work through “educational scholarships, the advocacy of internships, and access to resources for advancing entrepreneurship and small business sustainability across the country and abroad.”

“We are extremely grateful to the BeyGOOD Foundation for this generous gift,” said Dr. Rachael N. Reed, chair of the School of Population & Health Sciences and coordinator and assistant professor of Public Health. “In a country ravaged by health inequities, primarily impacting our BIPOC [Black, Indigenous, and People of Color] communities, supporting the education of BIPOC students is an essential part of addressing these inequities. These scholarships will be integral to building a diverse public health workforce and advancing the Dillard communiversity.”

For more information on BeyGOOD Foundation, visit beygood.org.

This article originally published in the October 2, 2023 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.