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Quavo's The Rocket Foundation To Award $100,000 In Grants For Gun Violence Prevention In Atlanta
Today (March 20), Quavo unveiled his SPARK Grants initiative, which is aimed at supporting groups striving to curb gun violence in Atlanta, GA. The announcement was made in collaboration with The Rocket Foundation.
The organization was founded by the Migos artist following the fatal shooting of Takeoff in 2022. The SPARK Grants program will distribute $10,000 each to 10 organizations, dedicating a total of $100,000 to aid in prevention efforts.
In a press statement, Quavo shared, “I am honored to launch this grant program to honor Take and the countless families that have been affected by gun violence. There is a lot of important work going on in ATL right now, and part of our mission is to uplift these organizations and support them to help save more lives.”
Grant applications close on April 21, with the winners to be announced on June 18, Takeoff’s birthday, during National Gun Violence Awareness Month.
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Quavo spoke about dealing with the loss of Takeoff in July 2023. In a black-and-white video shared on YouTube, the “11.11” creator explained, “He knows I love him. That’s what we always know. So when you see me, and you see me smiling or something like that, you don’t gotta never think, like, I forgot about him, or I’ll forget about him. I think about him all the time. Sometimes, I cry myself to sleep. I just know he’s here. If I can’t feel him, I just know he’s around.”
Later that year, the Georgia native dedicated Rocket Power to the late rapper. The 18-track offering boasted two Takeoff features as well as guest appearances from Future, Young Thug, Hunxho, and BabyDrill.
Elaborating on the LP’s title, Quavo shared, “Just being fueled by my brother, Take, and bottling in all these emotions — all the pain, all the hard times, all the times I cried, and all the times I just made music to pull up and try to play songs, and he’s not there. I’m just trying to get this fuel from above.”