Grooming Brand Bevel to Fund College Access Initiatives for Chicago’s Urban Prep Academies

Urban Prep Academies is receiving a large donation from grooming brand Bevel.

Urban Prep Academies is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operates three open-enrollment public charter high schools in Chicago and is known for its 100% college acceptance rate every year. Bevel, a Walker & Company Brand, is making a donation that will cover the entire costs of college tours, college application fees, and college test prep fees for the Urban Prep Academies classes of 2020 and 2021. 

Bevel made the announcement last week at an Urban Prep campus during the lead-up to All-Star weekend. The students were treated to a panel discussion about the path to success and were able to meet and greet with actor and singer Jacob Latimore from Showtime’s The Chi, NBA player Kendrick Nunn, and Chicago Radio Personality Kendra G. (WGCI-FM). 

Bevel founder and CEO Tristan Walker, who was raised by a single mother while growing up in Queens, New York, knows firsthand how having access to a great education can help set black boys on the right path to becoming successful black men. “[My mother] did everything she could to ensure that I was set up for success and had the education that I needed. Through education, I got to see how the other half lived. It completely changed my life. I got to see what success could look like…and it completely changed my worldview.”

Walker launched and started Bevel to create the products and tools that were specifically designed and tailored for textured hair and melanin-enriched skin. The company, which was started in 2013, began with a focus on shaving but now the brand has since expanded into hair, skin, and body, providing head-to-toe grooming solutions for black men.

Walker & Company Brands, which was acquired by Procter & Gamble, is a family of brands designing health and beauty solutions for people of color. Their vision is to build the world’s most consumer-centric health and beauty products company, inspiring unprecedented customer loyalty.

Bevel provides grooming products for black men, including a full skin care regimen, a shave system, and the Bevel Trimmer, designed to help reduce skin irritation and razor bumps. FORM, the first women’s prestige haircare collection to celebrate beauty in all its forms, is now available for order at formbeauty.com. 

Urban Prep Academies, founded by Tim King and a group of African American education, business, and civic leaders, operates the country’s first network of charter public high schools for boys. Since its first graduating class in 2010, 100% of Urban Prep’s graduates—all African American males, mostly from low-income families—have been admitted to college. Urban Prep’s three schools in Chicago’s Englewood, Near West, and Bronzeville communities, as well as Urban Prep’s unique Alumni and Fellows Programs, have provided more than 2,500 students with the tools they need to succeed in college and life.