The Foot Locker Foundation announced that it will award $400,000 to help fund the education of outstanding student athletes who demonstrate strong academic ability and leadership skills in their sports, school, and communities.

More than 81% of students have reported financial difficulties due to COVID-19 hardship in 2020. According to the National Student Clearing House, which analyzes data from 3.6 million students from 629 colleges, undergraduate college enrollment is down 2.5%. Between the cost of college skyrocketing in the last decade and the pandemic’s significant impact on the economy, the future of education among young Americans is uncertain.

To date, the Foot Locker Foundation has awarded more than 200 scholarships since the program’s inception in 2011 and invested more than $4 million directly towards the education and future of some of America’s most promising scholar athletes. Winners range from mental health advocates to future biochemical engineers and aspiring human rights layers from all over the country. The Foundation is eager to continue this tradition during the 2020-2021 school year.

“We are honored to recognize exceptional scholars like Brooklyn each year, particularly at a time when students and their families are facing intense disruptions in their academic and personal lives, as well as uncertainty for what the future holds,” states Richard A. Johnson, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Foot Locker, Inc. “The Foot Locker Scholar Athletes Program is building the bridge between these young, talented leaders and the remarkable achievements ahead of them.”

For Foot Locker’s Scholar Athletes, aspirations for success via a college education can become reality. In addition to each student receiving scholarship dollars, one of the 20 students selected receives the Ken. C. Hicks Scholarship, an additional $5,000 for demonstrating superior academic achievement, outstanding leadership, and a true love of the game.

The Scholar Athlete Program is a key initiative of the Foot Locker Foundation, which provides support for educational and sports programs across the country to empower young adults to continue to cultivate leadership skills learned in the team locker room, classroom, and community and do great things. The initiative is powered by Fastweb, a trusted scholarship and financial aid resource used by students to help find opportunities to help pay for school.

Students can apply online or be nominated by teachers, coaches, mentors, family, and friends by visiting footlockerscholarathletes.com.

Applications close on January 8^th, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. (EST). Applicants must be college-bound in the fall of 2021, be an active participant in a sports-related activity and maintain at least a 3.0 unweighted GPA. Participants will be required to submit two essays and one recommendation to be considered for the scholarship.