Shawn Carter Foundation ScholarsCourtsey of the Shawn Carter Foundation
Today, Means is a seventh-grade math educator in Brooklyn, a graduate student pursuing his master's in education, and the founder of Means Media and Marketing. He's also a team member and advisor at the very foundation that helped launch his career—embodying the organization's guiding principle: "Lift as we climb."
Founded by hip-hop icon Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter and his mother, Gloria Carter, the Shawn Carter Foundation has spent years opening doors for students of color who face barriers to higher education. What sets the organization apart is its holistic approach—one that recognizes education as a family endeavor.
"When you create this kind of program and people can see the impact, they're willing to come forward and say, ‘listen, I want to be a part of this,’" Gloria Carter said during a recent interview. "It's not as hard as people think it is. It's just giving back."
Gloria Carter with her son, hip-hop icon, Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter. The two co-founded the Shawn Carter Foundation in 2003.Courtsey of the Shawn Carter Foundation
"We teach them how to dress for success, how to behave, how to represent yourself," Gloria Carter said. "You have to want it more than your parents want it."
Each April, the foundation sponsors a bus tour to historically Black colleges and universities, giving students firsthand exposure to campus life and academic opportunities. For many participants, it's their first chance to walk on a college campus and envision themselves as part of that community.
"They get to see kids that look like them," Gloria Carter noted, explaining why HBCUs were the initial focus when the foundation launched. "They walk on campuses, have someone tell them what they can do to get to where they need to be."
The educational programs aren't just for students. Parents participate too, reinforcing the foundation's belief that families must be engaged partners in the educational journey.
Madison Jones, a freshman at Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina, participated in last year's tour. Growing up in Westchester County, New York, as the oldest of six children, Jones is now the first in her family to attend college—a milestone she credits directly to the foundation's intervention.
"I wasn't going to go to college," Jones admitted candidly. "This foundation helped to push me to get here."
The tour experience proved pivotal in her college selection. Bennett College, a historically Black women's institution, offered something she hadn't anticipated needing: a supportive sisterhood environment that balanced her experience growing up with eight brothers.
"It was very quiet, and it was a whole girls' school," Jones remembered about her first visit to campus. "Everybody was very nice to me and went out of their way. That made me want to go there."
For James Means, who participated in the 2015 tour, the experience was equally transformative. It led to a four-year scholarship to Virginia State University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in marketing with a minor in finance.
"The same way that I did my interview process for the Shawn Carter Foundation was the same way I've been doing interviews all my life," Means reflected. "They actually taught me how to do an interview—for my first job, for my first career."
Current Shawn Carter Foundation Scholars like Jones note that the foundation's value extends beyond scholarship dollars. When asked what she'd tell other students about the program, Jones highlighted three critical elements: "Scholarship, networking, and money management."
The foundation's Bridges to Wealth Program, which focuses on financial literacy and generational wealth-building, exemplifies this comprehensive approach. It's a resource that has benefited not just students but entire families.
But what truly distinguishes the Shawn Carter Foundation is its recognition that educational success ripples through entire families. The Means family exemplifies this multiplier effect.
James's mother, Lynnette Means, first heard about the foundation through a friend's referral. She didn't just enroll James—she brought his brother Joshua and their cousin Monique into the program. All three became scholars and received scholarships.
Joshua Means joined the foundation in 2019, graduated, and completed the Dubin Fellowship Program in 2023, which included a legal internship providing paralegal experience. He remains an active alumnus, volunteering at the foundation's annual toy drive and basketball tournament.
Lynnette Means became deeply involved herself, maintaining a close relationship with Gloria Carter and joining the Bridges to Wealth Program. Since 2019, she's applied the program's lessons to her own financial journey while encouraging her sons to do the same.
"The foundation has been very impactful to my family," James said. "We can be a pillar within the foundation. Lifting as we climb is exactly what my family is like. The foundation is helping us, and now my family helps the community."
After graduating from Virginia State in 2018, James Means returned to Brooklyn determined to give back. Now in his fifth year as a foundation team member and advisor, he helps current scholars with their application processes, college essays, and interview skills. During the annual bus tours, he serves as a chaperone and mentor.
"I feel like I give some type of fresh perspective to the students," Means explained. "I'm not that much older than them, so they can look at me and say, 'I could be there in five years if I keep lifting as we climb.'"
This intergenerational mentorship is by design. Gloria Carter points out that the foundation remains connected to its scholars long after graduation—a rarity among college access programs.
"We're the only foundation that sticks with the kids after they graduate," she said. "we're there financially, we're there on the phone, and when things go wrong, they can always reach out to us.”
For first-generation college students like Jones, the foundation's support proves especially crucial. Navigating college applications, financial aid, and campus life without parental experience can feel overwhelming. She said that the foundation provides both practical guidance and emotional support.
Now majoring in early childhood education at Bennett College, Jones is adjusting well to college life. "It's going well," she said of her first semester. "I loved high school, but now I'm thriving in college."
For James Means, growing up in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn—just blocks from where Jay-Z himself was raised, adds personal resonance to his work with the foundation.
"I am an African American male who grew up in Brooklyn," he said. "I know how times can be hard, but you have to make it out. He[Jay-Z] had a community, he had a village, and he chose to give back to that. I have a community, and I have a village, and I'm choosing to give back to that."
The foundation's model of celebrity philanthropy goes beyond writing checks. It's about sustained engagement, building infrastructure for success, and creating pathways that students can follow and then help others navigate.
Gloria Carter's vision for the foundation's future centers on sustainability through community investment. At the foundation's annual celebrations, graduates return to share how the program impacted their lives—creating a living testimony that inspires the next generation.
"When these young people graduate, they come back," Gloria Carter said with evident pride. "They speak to the kids and tell them, 'I was in your place before, so you can ask me any questions.' That's how I get my blessing—seeing them help the next person that comes behind them."
She said that when you invest in one student, you often transform an entire family, and through them, a community—a sentiment that resonates with Means.
"You actually have to have a village," Means said simply. "You have to have support."
The Shawn Carter Foundation, he said, is building that village, one family at a time.
