For decades, Jay-Z has championed the rags-to-riches lifestyle in his rhymes. Now, through the Shawn Carter Foundation, co-founded by his mother, Gloria Carter, the rapper and Roc Nation founder wants to pass on his wealth of knowledge to HBCU students.

With support from Toyota Motor North America, the foundation has partnered with the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania’s Coalition for Equity and Opportunity to develop the Champions for Financial Legacy. The initiative draws its curriculum from Wharton School’s Bridges to Wealth, a program encouraging generational wealth among underserved communities. 

According to the SCF, Champions for Financial Literacy will follow “real-world applications and service-learning components allowing students to apply their financial knowledge in community settings, thereby expanding the ecosystem of wealth-building and fostering local development.” In looking to reduce the wealth gap, CFFL students receive financial knowledge and skills to boost their chances for economic success and social mobility. The initiative will be opportune for those looking to explore budgeting, market risks and returns, stock markets, and additional curriculum topics.

The initiative debuts in spring 2025 at Missouri's Lincoln University, Virginia's Norfolk State University, and Virginia State University before expanding to other HBCUs. Complimentary professional development training will be offered to university-appointed faculty from each institution, while trained student ambassadors will promote CFFL to encourage campus enrollment.

The latest collaboration between SCF and Toyota comes after the automotive manufacturing company backed SCF’s HBCU Bus Tour to increase college enrollment.

“We are excited to see our partnership with the Shawn Carter Foundation evolve to include this innovative initiative,” said Monica Womack, general manager of diversity & inclusion and community engagement at Toyota, in a press release. “One that not only provides resources to HBCU students but also reaches the heart of the community, through advocacy for financial literacy.”

Gloria Carter, who also serves as the CEO of the SCF, added that she and her colleagues “dedicate ourselves to uplifting students and communities that are underserved.” “To launch a financial education program that will reach more students and communities, along with dedicated partners like Toyota and the Wharton School of Business, is a vision we are finally seeing come to fruition,” she continued.