Stormzy donates £500,000 to fund the education of disadvantaged students

Stormzy has given £500,000 to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds pay for their education.

The money is the first lump sum donated by the rapper since he pledged in June to give away £10million over the next decade to help fight racial inequality.

The donation to the Black Heart Foundation, which was made through his Merky Foundation, will cover the cost of cash grants for 50 students in need financial support for any educational activity.

Read more: BBC to match Stormzy's £10m pledge to tackle racial inequality in Britain

The Black Heart Foundation founder Ric Lewis, said they have been “invigorated” by the generosity shown by Stormzy and his foundation.

A spokesperson for the #Merky Foundation said: “The Black Heart Foundation is an incredible charity and we are proud to make them the first beneficiary to receive funding from our £10 million pledge, announced earlier this year.

“Their Each Day. Every Day campaign is a brilliant initiative and we are elated that our £500,000 donation has played a key part in helping them achieve their target. We encourage others to donate whatever they can to help change a young person’s life.”

Lewis said: “We are grateful to #Merky Foundation and invigorated by their generosity. Their contribution is an amazing testament to their vision and commitment to higher and further education for ambitious, hard-working young people from the most under-resourced and under-represented communities in our society.

Read more: Stormzy wore his sister's clothes as he grew up without much money

“With their support we will reach another 50 young people, taking the total number of scholars we can help to 250. I want to thank everyone that has donated money so far. The response we have had has been incredible.”

Stormzy’s pledge in June came after Black Lives Matter protests took place around the world following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police.

The 27-year-old said at the time: “The uncomfortable truth that our country continuously fails to recognise and admit is that Black people in the UK have been at a constant disadvantage in every aspect of life – simply due to the colour of our skin.”