Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective & Amazon Music Announce 2026 HBCU Scholarship Recipients

The Recording Academy and Amazon Music have announced their 2026 “Your Future Is Now” scholarship program recipients.

Presented by the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective (BMC) and Amazon Music, the “Your Future Is Now” scholarship program was established in 2021 to cultivate the next generation of music industry leaders at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The program provides five selected students with $10,000 scholarships, networking opportunities with leading music industry executives, an immersive rotational experience with department leaders from both the Academy and Amazon Music, and opportunities to attend 2027 Grammy Week events.

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In addition to student scholarships, the BMC and Amazon Music award two HBCUs with $10,000 grants to buy equipment for their music programs.

Now in its fifth year, the program has awarded a total of $220,000 in scholarships to 22 HBCU students, as well as $100,000 in grants to 10 HBCU music programs.

This year’s scholarship recipients are:

•     Anton Hopewell Jr., Junior, Howard University
•     Dana Thompson, Junior, Spelman College
•     Kennedi Paschal, Junior, Howard University
•     Kyler M Reese, Senior, North Carolina Agricultural & Technical University
•     Tinuola Osuntusa, Junior, Virginia State University

Additionally, two $10,000 grants were presented to Howard University and Spelman College’s music programs to support their music programs with equipment.

The Black Music Collective is an advisory board of music industry leaders dedicated to advancing opportunities for Black music creators and championing increased representation across the field. Powered by the Recording Academy’s DREAM Network, the Collective serves as a central hub for creators and business leaders across all genres.