PNC Foundation Gives $5M to Help 200,000 Pupils

PITTSBURGH – The PNC Foundation today announced it is funding hundreds of pre-K classroom requests as part of a new $5 million grant to DonorsChoose.org that will provide teachers with better resources to encourage their pupils’ love of learning. It is the largest donation in the foundation’s history, according to PNC.

Today’s donation of $504,000 “flash-funded” 849 projects in public and charter pre-K classrooms in 22 states and Washington, D.C. where The PNC Financial Services Group Inc. conducts business.

A press event will be held this afternoon at Alta Head Start’s Renaissance Center here to outline how the funds will be used locally.

The PNC Foundation said its alliance with DonorsChoose will further the mission of PNC Grow Up Great, a $350 million, multi-year bilingual initiative in early childhood education.

The PNC Foundation’s gift to support pre-K classrooms also enables DonorsChoose.org for the first time to include project requests from Head Start teachers.

DonorsChoose.org is an online charity that connects individual donors with classrooms in need.

Teacher requests range from books to art supplies, science equipment and field trips, DonorsChoose said.

A DonorsChoose study found that 93% percent of teachers asked, either considered buying or bought classroom supplies from their own pockets; 88% reported spending up to $500.

The PNC Foundation will provide 14,500 PNC employees who volunteered with Grow Up Great in 2016 a $50 DonorsChoose.org electronic gift card that will enable the employee to select a classroom project for those funds.

Since Grow Up Great was begun, PNC employees have given more than 652,000 hours through a bank policy that allows each volunteer 40 hours of paid time off annually.

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