TOWSON, Md.
— “The Walking Down the Road,” “The Big Lebowski,” “Ridiculousness,” “Pulp Fiction” and more all star performers and cast members are being offered up to $25 million in scholarships by a group of colleges and universities.
“We are proud to announce a new and unique program to help top-tier actors and actresses receive the resources they need to pursue their careers,” said John McDonough, president of the College Board, which sponsors the scholarship program.
The scholarships are available to high school and college students in the United States.
The colleges and schools are looking for talented actors, actresses and writers who have “a strong commitment to social justice and inclusion,” according to a statement from the College of William & Mary.
The program will be in its 12th year.
“The goal of the scholarship is to help these talented individuals pursue their dream of becoming an actor, writer, actress or producer,” McDonight said.
The College of Virginia will provide the first $5,000 scholarship.
“This is a groundbreaking opportunity to enable talented people to reach their full potential and pursue their dreams,” said Stephanie Ritchie, vice president for college affairs at the university.
“It’s an exciting time in the film industry where the film world is expanding rapidly, and we are thrilled to partner with the College to create this program to support talented young people.”
More than a dozen colleges are participating in the scholarship.
The announcement comes after a week of controversy over the program.
President Mark Hachette resigned as the executive director of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and resigned as president of CBS, a CBS corporation, over the controversy.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which awards the Oscars for best picture and best director, was also among the organizations to reject the scholarship for a week, citing concerns about “gender stereotyping, gender inequality and sexual assault.”
“The Hollywood Foreign Producers Association has expressed serious concerns about the recent changes to the Hollywood foreign press corps,” said Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs in a statement.
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In the meantime, we encourage all our members to explore their options for funding scholarships in their respective schools.”