Beyoncé 'Honored to Give Back' as She Announces $500,000 Fund for Cosmetology Schools and Salons Nationwide

The singer's charity BeyGOOD announced the fund as a joint venture with her new haircare line, Cécred

Beyoncé is giving back.

As the singer’s long-awaited haircare brand Cécred arrived on Tuesday, her charity, BeyGOOD, announced a partnership with the brand to support cosmetology-school students and local businesses nationwide.

The Cécred x BeyGOOD Fund will award $500,000 annually to support cosmetology-school scholarships and salon business grants in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles and New Jersey, per the announcement.

The fund “celebrates the influence professional stylists have on hair health and the critical importance of advocating for the salon community,” as it aids in “fostering talent, promoting professionalism, and supporting entrepreneurship within the hair industry” across the country.

“Hairstylists have an immense impact on the people in their chairs. They create a sacred space where we can show up how we want and express ourselves through our hair. We’re honored to give back to this amazing community,” reads a statement from the fund.

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The cosmetology schools in the five major cities each have “inclusive curriculums” and will be awarded a total of $250,000 to be used toward financial aid student scholarships. Beaver Beauty Academy in Atlanta, Trenz Beauty Academy in Chicago, Universal College of Beauty in Los Angeles, Franklin Institute in Houston and Janas Cosmetology Academy in New Jersey have all been selected as awardees by the Cécred x BeyGOOD Fund.

To qualify, the student must demonstrate “need due to financial hardship” and either be already enrolled or accepted into one of the cosmetology schools. Applications for the scholarship opened Tuesday and will close March 20, with the recipients to be announced April 20.

The remaining $250,000 will be awarded annually to “qualifying salon business owners” in the same cities, “so they can continue their transformative impact in the community,” per the announcement.

“We recognize running your own business is difficult, no matter if you rent a booth, operate a salon, or work out of your home,” read the grant description. Similarly, an application is required and there must be a demonstrated financial “need” in order to qualify.

The other qualifications include that the applicant is a “licensed barber, hairstylist or cosmetologist” and has been for at least two years, can show proof of salon ownership or a lease agreement and has been in business for at least a year.

Five small-business grants will be awarded in each of the five cities five times per year, with rolling application cycles. Like the cosmetology school fund, applications opened Tuesday and will close March 20, with the first round of recipients to be announced April 20. The following rounds this year will open May 1, July 1, Sept. 1 and Nov. 1.

Tuesday also marked the official launch of Beyonce’s haircare line, which she told Essence was inspired by her childhood watching her mother Tina Knowles run a salon in Houston.

“So much of the fabric of who I am came from her salon,” she said. “That’s my foundation — and I think as an artist, so much of my bold experimentation with hair comes from being inspired by art and sculptures; getting creative with braids; figuring out new techniques; and exploring ways to maintain hair growth with protective styles and wigs, while still feeling fabulous. It all stems from my experiences growing up in my mother’s salon.”

The brand is “a legacy project,” the 32-time Grammy winner said, adding that it’s “one that’s probably the most rooted in my ancestry. It’s so far beyond business. Hair is our lineage; it’s our family story.”

Related: Beyoncé Reveals the Story Behind Her Shocking 2013 Pixie Cut: 'It Was a Very Big Emotional Transformation'

Beyoncé, 42, first teased the project on Instagram in May, as she reflected on her “first job” at her mother’s salon. 

“I was exposed to so many different kinds of entrepreneurial women in her salon," the singer wrote.
"I saw firsthand how the ways we nurture and celebrate hair can directly impact our souls. I watched her heal and be of service to so many women. Having learned so much on my hair journey, I’ve always dreamed of carrying on her legacy.”

The line launched with the Foundation collection, an assortment of eight products (housed in sculpture-like textured bottles) that cleanse, condition and strengthen hair. Its powered by the brand’s Bioactive Keratin Ferment, described as “a patent-pending technology made from wool-derived keratin,” and notably, honey.

In a press release for its debut, the Cécred team describes the collection as “the difference between a routine and a ritual,” adding that it gives you “the foundation to express your hair in all ways that make you feel good.”

The collection includes a deep-cleaning (but not scalp-stripping) Clarifying Shampoo & Scalp Scrub ($38), a hyaluronic acid-infused Hydrating Shampoo ($30), an oil-and-shea-butter-packed Moisturizing Deep Conditioner ($38), a keratin-spiked Reconstructing Treatment Mask ($42), a strengthening Fermented Rice & Rose Protein Ritual ($52 for four treatments), a smoothing Moisture-Sealing Lotion ($38), a 13-oil-blend Nourishing Hair Oil ($44) and a Ritual Shaking Vessel ($20) intended to be used to mix the Fermented Rice & Rose Protein Ritual.

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