ATLANTA, GA - FEBRUARY 02: (L-R) Meek Mill, Fanatics Founder/Executive Chairman Michael Rubin, Kevin Hart and Robert Kraft attend Fanatics Super Bowl Party at College Football Hall of Fame on February 2, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Fanatics)
Meek Mill and Kevin Hart were both students in the Philadelphia public school system. Now, they want to give parents a choice of school their children can attend.
That’s why Mill, Hart, and Michael Rubin donated $7 million to private schools in Philly, according to their spokesperson, Arianne Antonio. Antonio told The Philadelphia Inquirer that contributing to private schools and tax credit programs helps “support students who may not otherwise have an opportunity.”
Most funding will reportedly cover scholarships for low-to-moderate-income students during the 2023-2024 school year. These scholarships will cover at least 60 private and parochial schools. In addition to tuition and classroom resources, the funds are also for laptops, tablets, and WiFi connections.
The list of schools on the receiving end of the funds remains private. However, Philadelphia Inquirer reports they’re located in south and north Philly, close to Hart and Mill’s childhood stomping grounds.
The scholarship funding will be administered via Business Leadership Organized for Catholic Schools (BLOCS,) which the Inquirers says is the state’s ‘largest scholarship organization.’
Meek’s charitable actions are a bright spot in the days since his heated exchange with a boxer and apology to the people of Ghana. Over the weekend, a video captured the artist’s heated exchange at Gervonta Davis’s boxing match against Luis Garcia.
On Monday, he apologized after receiving criticism for shooting a music video at Ghana’s flagstaff house, called the Jubilee House.
Beyond this week’s incidents, Meek has steadily contributed to his community’s growth. For example, in December, the Philadelphia Inquirer says Mill and Rubin arranged a “daylong VIP experience” with the Eagles and Sixers teams. The event was curated for over two dozen children “negatively impacted by the criminal justice system and unjust probations.”
Also in December, the rapper bailed out 20 women from Riverside Correctional Facility in Philly so they’d be home for the holidays. The women reportedly received gift cards meant for groceries or gifts as part of their release.
Meek and Rubin reportedly said they’ve collectively contributed over $17 million to Philly-area communities in the last few years.
