Meek Mill, Kevin Hart and 76ers co-owner Michel Rubin have teamed up to help students in their hometown.
The three men have collectively donated $15 million to 110 schools in the Philadelphia area. The donation “will assist thousands of students from underserved families” for the 2022-2023 academic year, according to a press release. It will also go to private and parochial schools throughout the city for underprivileged kids to attend these academies.
Meek has always made it his mission to help the youth from his city. A few years ago, he pointed out how many abandoned schools were in Philly and alluded to creating a new institution. “Since they got like 30 abandoned schools in Philly…. can we buy one and build a super school in our own neighborhood?” the “Sharing Locations” rapper previously tweeted. “I hang wit a lot of billionaires [who] really care about education.. ‘all we need is one school to start!’”
Back in 2019, Meek and Rubin pledged to commit millions to Philly schools. “We care about education a lot,” Rubin said during an interview on “The Breakfast Club.” “I don’t know if you guys saw, Meek and I have been talking a lot about education. We’re actually gonna commit, between Meek and I, in Pennsylvania, millions of dollars to Pennsylvania schools this year.”
In 2020, the Championships rapper and Fanatics CEO launched a $2 million scholarship fund for Philly students. The money went to benefit 1,000 children in the area and went toward the 2020-2021 school year. The money also helped students from pre-K to high school receive the proper resources that were needed during the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Students from poverty-stricken homes who were selected to receive the scholarship were able to use the money to attend any private school throughout the city. Those who were enrolled in virtual learning could use the funds to buy equipment, such as tablets, laptops and WiFi.