The cost of college is usually steep, but two Binghamton University alumni are looking to lessen the burden by awarding small grants to students in order to pay for their housing.

Homes for Scholars (HFS) was launched in 2015 by Sam Vaughn ‘15, who graduated with a degree in sociology, and Patrick LaBuff ‘15, who graduated with a degree in political science. The nonprofit organization was created when the two looked at their student loans at the end of 2014 and realized that while their loans were large, some students’ were much worse. This prompted them to create an organization to help other BU students.

The start of the pilot program, “The First Two Program,” was announced on Feb. 11 and will distribute a combined total of $6,000 to two BU students to pay for their 12-month housing lease for the 2016-2017 academic year. Every month, each student will receive a check for $250 to go toward rent.

“Our hope is by reducing the cost they have to pay to live, it allows them to focus more on what they want to focus on and gets more people into higher education,” Vaughn said.

HFS received nonprofit status with the IRS in 2014 and began fundraising shortly after. The founders raised money by putting collection boxes in local businesses and accepting donations from students, friends and family until they attained sufficient funds. The majority of donations came from students, which is what they said hope to see as a future fundraising trend.

Vaughn said they launched a marketing campaign on Facebook in September 2015 to connect students to the application by using the hashtag #HFS. The grant application opened in December and the award recipients were selected in February. The winners are Gina Perez, a junior majoring in integrative neuroscience, and Nora Le, a junior majoring in accounting. According to Vaughn, it was an incredibly difficult decision, but they were chosen due to their high GPAs, demonstrated financial need and campus involvement.

After already raising $6,000, Vaughn said they hope to raise additional funds this year to finance two more students.

“Many of my friends and fellow students have illustrated how difficult it is to attend college with the burden of debt,” LaBuff said. “HFS looks to shrink that debt so students can focus on their classes and lives.”

Applicants for the pilot program applied by completing an online application and sending their transcripts and FAFSA. To be considered, the applicant needed to be a full-time undergraduate with at least a 2.5 GPA who demonstrated involvement in campus organizations and a lower-than-average family income.

Fifteen students applied for the grant through an online application that asked for basic demographic information such as family income, race, gender and major. They did not look at freshman applicants because the money is reserved, for now, for off-campus living.

Le said she liked how HFS wanted to make higher education more affordable to every student.

“I’ll be going to grad school here for my Masters in Accounting so any scholarships and grants that can mitigate education costs for me and my family are appreciated,” Le wrote in an email. “Although I receive financial aid, it’s not likely that it’ll cover all my expenses, such as textbooks and my rent at my current apartment.”

Perez said she came across the Facebook link and although she found it too good to be true, she figured there was nothing to lose.

“These are $3,000 that I could now save and use towards other expenses, such as saving for a car,” Perez wrote in an email. “This program has made my parents’ life a little easier as well, because they don’t have to worry as much about how they can help me pay off my rent.”

Vaughn said they hope that by BU students helping each other, the community will grow.

“If Bearcats can help Bearcats, we can make more room for Bearcats,” Vaughn said. “We hope that in expanding that, we see a more diverse class come in, not just the students who have been coming to higher education for past years.”