PepsiCo’s philanthropic branch, the PepsiCo Foundation, officially declared the launch of its new $350,000 scholarship initiative in August.

The initiative, titled “Taste of Tomorrow”, will focus on providing tuition assistance to students at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) who are pursuing degrees in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).

Taste of Tomorrow aims to help diversify STEM career fields by increasing Black representation. According to the National Science Foundation’s 2023 report, African American professionals make up just 9% of the STEM workers in the United States. The PepsiCo Foundation aims to boost that number.

“PepsiCo and the PepsiCo Foundation are helping to close the diversity gap in the STEM workforce by increasing awareness and access for HBCU students through financial support and resources aimed at supporting food science and elevating culinary innovation,” the company announced in a digital press release.

Famed rapper 2 Chainz will be Taste of Tomorrow’s official campaign spokesperson. With PepsiCo’s Pepsi Zero Sugar and Doritos brands, he is going to visit participating HBCUs at events that will showcase what PepsiCo calls “on-the-ground culinary innovations”. At such events, a variety of talent will also perform.

2 Chainz shared his enthusiasm about the initiative as a part of PepsiCo’s announcement.

“As an HBCU alum, I’m excited to share my platform and partner with PepsiCo’s Taste of Tomorrow initiative to support diversity in STEM and encourage students, all while bringing awareness to the talented graduates coming from HBCUs entering the workforce.” said the Alabama State University graduate.

Of the total amount of funding, $100 thousand will go towards honoring both Florida A&M University and Prairie View A&M University with the provision of STEM resources and all-new R&D workshops.

The remaining $250 thousand will be available to students at nine institutions: Benedict College, Bethune-Cookman University, Florida A&M University, Hampton University, Howard University, Jackson State University, Morgan State University, North Carolina Central University and Prairie View A&M University. Students attending any of the included schools are encouraged to apply.

The President of the PepsiCo Foundation, C.D. Glin, is an HBCU graduate himself.

“As a proud HBCU graduate and executive in a food and beverage company, my interest in this program is both personal and professional, said Glin, who also serves as the Global Head of Social Impact for PepsiCo, “By investing in HBCU students and supporting STEM education, we hope to inspire a new era of STEM professionals to not only change the future of this industry but provide long-term impact in their communities.”

While Taste of Tomorrow is intended to encourage diversity in STEM, the PepsiCo Foundation plans for the initiative to also nurture breakthroughs in other industries.

“With the launch of this campaign, we’re not only helping to create a more diverse and inclusive workforce for the STEM field, but also drive innovation and progress in the food industry,” said Kent Montgomery, Senior Vice President, Industry Relations and Multicultural Development at PepsiCo.

HBCUs have long been at the center of African American career success, and they help bridge the gap between minorities and life-advancement as well as improve urban populations.

PepsiCo prides itself on achievements including garnering over one billion product consumers per day and earning $91 billion in net revenue in 2023. The company is known for iconic brands such as Mountain Dew, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade and Pepsi-Cola.

The PepsiCo Foundation focuses its efforts on addressing three main economic concerns: nutrition, safe water and economic opportunity. In doing this, the foundation plans to make the world more equitable.

The Taste of Tomorrow scholarship application cycle has not yet begun, but those who are interested can sign up to receive updates.