Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet during a game against the Philadelphia 76ers, in Philadelphia, Pa., on Nov. 11.Matt Slocum/The Associated Press
Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet has partnered with the University of Toronto’s Rotman Commerce business program to launch a new scholarship to support a Black or Indigenous student through their undergraduate degree.
The Fred VanVleet Scholarship will provide four years of tuition and books, based on financial need, with preference to a student focused on management.
“This is to create possibility and light for those who have faced bias, who haven’t had the same chances as others,” VanVleet said in a statement issued Monday by the Raptors. “It’s important to provide opportunities to those who opportunity usually ignores, or works against, or excludes.
“Academia hasn’t traditionally been an inclusive place for many of us, and so it’s important to make space specifically for people who want to learn, but who are facing barriers that others do not.”
The scholarship also includes one-on-one mentoring with VanVleet.
VanVleet is an entrepreneur off the court with his own clothing line and shop. He also hosts a podcast aimed at supporting business-people who are Black, Indigenous or people of colour.
“Fred sets an example on and off the court, and this scholarship is further evidence of his leadership and his vision,” Raptors vice-chairman and president Masai Ujiri said in the release. “I believe the recipient of the Fred VanVleet Scholarship will benefit from not just the support in their education, but their relationship with this incredible person.”