Pantene, Head & Shoulders partner on STEM scholarships

Two Procter & Gamble brands are doing their part to support black women’s careers in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics space.

Royal Oils by Head & Shoulders and Gold Series from Pantene are doing their part to ensure women of color are represented in the STEM field by supporting the growth and development of future Black female innovators through a new initiative.

In partnership with CVS, the Cincinnati-based company will award $200,000 in scholarships to Black women who are pursuing a degree in STEM subjects at historically Black colleges and universities and UNCF member schools.

“Providing these resources to young, Black women studying STEM is deeply important to P&G as we hope to help further diversify the field and pave the way for future generations,” Lela Coffey, vice president at P&G multicultural hair care, said. “STEM and diversity are at the core of our brands and ensuring representation of Black women in these roles is essential for developing future innovations in beauty and personal care products that continue to support and reflect the needs of modern Black women.”

The Rooted in Science scholarships will be administered by UNCF, an organization dedicated to aiding Black men and women in getting into and completing college successfully.

Applications, which will be open from Nov. 15 to Jan. 4, 2021, will be available on the UNCF website.

A total of 16 scholarship recipients will be awarded $5,000 a year for up to two years, the company said.

“During our 75 years of working together, P&G has been a very reliable partner for UNCF,” Michael L. Lomax, president and CEO of UNCF said. “With the COVID-19 pandemic raging across the United States and hitting communities of color particularly hard, we need as many students studying STEM fields as possible, as those careers are likely to be the bulk of our future pandemic frontliners — our future doctors, nurses, teachers and technologists. This new scholarship program helps fill a growing gap that HBCU students and other Black students have often fallen behind in due to a lack of funds. Thank you, P&G, for helping to open more doors to better futures for us all.”