Lemonade was released a year ago — and Beyoncé is marking the occasion by giving back.
The singer announced the Formation Scholars program in a Beyoncé.com post.
"To add to the celebration of the one-year anniversary of Lemonade, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter announces the establishment of Formation Scholars awards for the 2017-2018 academic year, to encourage and support young women who are unafraid to think outside the box and are bold, creative, conscious, and confident," the announcement reads.
The Formation Scholars awards include one scholarship for each of the following schools: Berklee College of Music, Howard University, Parsons School of Design, and Spelman College. The scholarships are available to incoming students as well as current and graduate students, but the Beyoncé.com announcement specifies that the recipients must be female. Recipients also need to be pursuing degrees in "creative arts, music, literature, or African-American studies."
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The announcement doesn't specify how much each scholarship is worth, but it notes that "all details and application deadlines are available directly from the colleges." Still, it'd be pretty awesome to tell your friends you're a recipient of a Beyoncé scholarship, regardless of how much the actual award is.
As Entertainment Weekly notes, the "Formation" singer has a history of giving back. Beyoncé was involved with the launch of Gucci's Chime for Change campaign in 2013. The campaign is intended to "raise funds and awareness in support of projects for girls and women around the world," according to Vogue. She's also donated money to help with the water crisis in Flint, Michigan.
Fans were thrilled to hear about Queen Bey's latest initiative. Baltimore-based activist Deray McKesson shared the news on Twitter, and plenty of others celebrated the scholarship program, too.
"Formation Scholars literally makes me so happy to be hive. I love Beyoncé and everything she stands for," one fan tweeted.
Beyonce has just announced #FormationScholars. pic.twitter.com/6vJ4Vkw2Ik
— deray mckesson (@deray) April 25, 2017
Beyoncé is doing amazing things for young woman with #FormationScholars. Encourage the youth to challenge the norm every chance they get!
— T-R-I-S-T-A-N (@ExMCMXCIV) April 25, 2017
Formation Scholars literally makes me so happy to be hive. I love Beyoncé and everything she stands for.
— ?? (@yoncepopa) April 25, 2017
Your fave could never... FORMATION SCHOLARS https://t.co/p2xRb1BV6A pic.twitter.com/h4L302Ibcl
— Blair LM Kelley (@profblmkelley) April 25, 2017
Beyoncé launched #FormationScholars to help women get their education. @howardu & @SpelmanCollege are the 2 HBCU's she will be supporting ?? pic.twitter.com/ZGGrcRncF1
— IG: MrArvinger (@MrArvinger) April 25, 2017
Every time I think I love Beyoncé enough, she Beyoncés again: https://t.co/KRU20Vx9bM #FormationScholars
— jamilah (@JamilahLemieux) April 25, 2017
This morning all over social media. #FormationScholars pic.twitter.com/wSE4iBwUjC
— CatchGifUcan.com ? (@CatchGifUCan) April 25, 2017
The four schools selected were just as thrilled as the Beyhive, too.
"We at Berklee love Beyoncé. As a singer, writer, producer, performer, and humanitarian, Beyoncé is a strong and inspiring role model for our students," Berklee President Roger H. Brown said in a statement provided to Refinery29. "Her original all-female band included a current professor and two Berklee alumnae. Beyoncé's support for a female student studying at the Boston or Valencia campus will have an impact on the global music industry, and further Beyoncé's own mission of artistic excellence and innovative business practices that have made her the most compelling artist of the 21st century."
This post has been updated to include a statement from Berklee President Roger H. Brown.
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