Quavo is looking to give back to his local Atlanta community through The Rocket Foundation. Huncho announced the launch of the Spark Grants initiative on Wednesday (March 20), which will award 10 different organizations with $10,000 to help minimize gun violence and spread awareness around the ATL.
The grants will be handed out to recipients on June 18, which is also the birthday of Quavo’s late nephew and Migos bandmate Takeoff and lands in National Gun Violence Awareness Month.
Takeoff (born Kirshnik Khari Ball), 28, was shot and killed early in the morning of Nov. 1, 2022 while attending a private party with Quavo at 810 Billiards & Bowling in downtown Houston.
Last year, Quavo headed to Washington, D.C., to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris to discuss gun violence and what could be done to help reduce the amount of weapons on the streets. Twenty-four hours later, the White House revealed plans for the Office of Gun Violence Prevention.
“I am honored to launch this grant program to honor Take and the countless families that have been affected by gun violence,” said Quavo in a statement. “The Rocket Foundation will be giving out $100,000 in Spark grants to local organizations dedicated to reducing community violence in Atlanta.”
He continued: “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.”
Applications from nonprofit organizations are due by April 21 and then the $100,000 in total will be awarded on June 18. The 10th winner will be selected by the public with voting taking place on The Rocket Foundation’s website.
Investigators said shots rang out during the an afterparty attended by several dozen people, with TakeOff pronounced dead at the scene of what the Harris County coroner’s office said was “penetrating gunshot wounds of head and torso into arm.”
Less than a month before TakeOff’s murder, Quavo and Take teamed up to form the Unc & Phew duo (TakeOff is Quavo’s nephew) and unleash their Only Built For Infinity Links album. The LP debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200.
