John Legend Partners With Bilt To Help 50 College Students Cover Rent

Supporting this challenge is personal to the singer.

Legendary singer and songwriter John Legend is helping students who are struggling to make ends meet pay for their off-campus housing, according to AfroTech.

Bilt and Scholarship America are teaming up with the musician for the October Rent Day initiative to cover the rent of 50 students who are at risk of eviction. The students hailing from Morehouse College, Central State University, Wilberforce University, and the University of Pennsylvania, which is Legend’s alma mater, will be chosen for the initiative. Three of the schools involved are historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

For Legend, supporting this challenge is personal. In addition to moving from Springfield, Ohio, to attend college, Legend worked at a church and held a work-study job while in school to pay for his rent.

“I was hustling, and I was doing it so I could pay my rent,” Legend said, according to AfroTech. “I know what it feels like to be in that position where you’ve got to figure out how to do it yourself.”

Bilt members plan to support the effort, too. On Rent Day, members can donate “Bilt Points” to Scholarship America and all donated points will go to the organization.

To celebrate the upcoming release of Legend’s studio album Muse that will drop Oct. 23, Bilt has partnered with the artist to give members a chance to win money to pay their rent on Bilt’s Rent Free game show, score a member-exclusive vinyl copy of Muse, and attend a private show with the artist in San Francisco on Oct. 21.

Despite this new business venture, Legend said education is at the core of his new partnership with Bilt. He said he received a great education in college that “set me up for life,” and hopes the new Rent Assistance Program will allow students to pay for their rent while still being in school.