Leonardo DiCaprio funds climate education at former school

LOS ANGELES –

Leonardo DiCaprio will fund scholarships and a climate education program at the UCLA elementary school where he was once a scholarship student himself, the actor and college said Tuesday.

The Leonardo DiCaprio Scholarship Fund and Climate Justice Education Program will begin at UCLA Lab School in the upcoming school year.

“I was fortunate enough to attend Lab School thanks to the generous contributions of UCLA donors, and my experience profoundly changed my worldview,” DiCaprio said in a statement to The Associated Press. “I am proud to have the opportunity to pass on my experience to those who would otherwise miss this opportunity, and to help build a program that will help mentor the next generation of climate warriors.”

The school strives to offer innovative educational techniques for its students – from 4 to 12 years old – who can come and study with external teachers.

DiCaprio’s scholarship fund will provide his students in need of financial assistance, which he received as a child when he attended the school in the 1980s, and will help the school maintain the diversity it seeks. About 40% of students need financial aid.

“This scholarship fund will give many kids access to UCLA Lab School, just as Leo had,” said Dr. Eric Esrailian, a professor in UCLA’s Department of Health Sciences and a longtime friend of DiCaprio’s.

The new and separate climate education program will teach kindergarten through sixth grade students about the science behind climate change and the policies and leadership needed to address it. The school has sought to use its location, next to a creek amidst redwoods on the Los Angeles University campus, to become a practical venue for environmental education.

DiCaprio, 48, has long been an outspoken advocate for tackling the climate crisis.

Esrailian said the program “will position children — both in Lab School and beyond — for more sustainable and healthy lives for themselves and for our planet.”

The amount of donations behind the programs has not been made public, but officials said generations of students will be the recipients.

“Expanding access to quality education and helping young people understand the need to protect our planet are critical goals for our institution,” UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said in a statement.

DiCaprio, the Oscar-winning star of “Titanic,” “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” “The Revenant,” and “The Departed,” will next appear in “Killers of the Flower Moon,” directed by longtime collaborator Martin Scorsese .