Meek Mill and Kevin Hart continue to bless their hometown of Philadelphia.
In partnership with Michael Rubin, the Philly natives have pledged to collectively donate $15 million to 110 schools in and around the City of Brotherly Love. The Philly Voice reports the gift, which marks the largest donation ever made by the men, will help thousands of lower-income students pay for tuition at private and parochial schools during the 2022-2023 academic year. According to the outlet, the funds won’t benefit the School District of Philadelphia.
During a 2019 appearance on The Breakfast Club, Meek and Rubin announced their plans to donate millions of dollars toward Pennsylvania’s school systems, explaining that education was among their biggest philanthropic priorities.
“We care about education a lot,” the 76ers partner said. “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.”
Since then, Meek, Rubin, and Hart have helped support underserved youth across the country. In 2020, Meek and Rubin announced a $2 million scholarship to help support youth during the global health crisis. Last month, Meek and his fellow REFORM Alliance board directors treated 25 students to a “VIP experience” at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, where they watched a Nets vs. Magic game, enjoyed a private dinner at the 40/40 club, and received a $250 gift card to spend at the Nets’ team store and Brooklyn Fanatics.
In 2020, Hart gave the School District of Philadelphia a quarter of a million dollars to cover the costs of technology upgrades. In the years prior, the comedian provided more than $600,000 in college scholarship funds for underserved students in the city.
“Education and knowledge are powerful,” Hart said at the time. “I just wanted to do my part in providing opportunities for our future leaders, especially from my Philly hometown, and show support for HBCUs. This is just the beginning; trust me when I tell you there are a lot more kids who want to go to college who don’t have the money to make it happen.”