Lincoln Financial Foundation Strengthens Educational Programming with $248,000 in Grants to Hartford Nonprofits
Hartford, Conn., June 26, 2013 /3BL Media/ – Lincoln Financial Foundation is helping to strengthen educational opportunity, close the achievement gap and reduce the dropout rate in Hartford through $248,000 in recent grants to 17 local nonprofit agencies that sustain learning. These grants are a portion of almost $803,000 in charitable funds the foundation has allocated for Hartford in 2013.
Lincoln Foundation awarded $40,000 to Teach For America (TFA) to support corps members teaching in high-need schools and classrooms in Hartford where they set and meet high expectations for student achievement. TFA aims to serve school districts where the majority of students are growing up in poverty, determined by the percentage of students who receive free or reduced-price lunch. In Connecticut, TFA will only place corps members in schools where at least 70% of students receive free or reduced-price lunch. TFA’s goal is to provide students with path-changing opportunities, starting with, but not ending in, excellent academic achievement in the classroom. TFA equips corps members with the knowledge, mindsets and skills that will help them to teach and maintain a high culture of achievement in their classrooms.
Other organizations receiving education grants:
- $30,000 to Connecticut Forum in support of its Connecticut YOUTH Forum, engaging teens in issues-focused discussions and leadership skills development workshops, as well as the Connecticut Forum’s series of public forums on timely, provocative issues.
- $20,000 to Hartford Youth Scholars Foundation for the Steppingstone Academy in Hartford, which is offered to select seventh-grade students who are eager to learn, enjoy being academically challenged, and have college as a goal.
- $20,000 to Our Piece of the Pie for its Pathways to Success program, which offers students a combination of tutoring services, college entrance exam and GED preparation, the services of its College Bridge program, post-secondary essay application workshops, college tours and financial aid workshops.
- $15,000 to Connecticut Invention Convention for its 2013-2014 academic program, which introduces inventing into Hartford schools and afterschool programs.
- $15,000 to Connecticut Science Center to support its STEM Initiative Expansion Program, emphasizing science, technology, engineering and math in Hartford public schools.
- $15,000 to Harriet Beecher Stowe Center for its Hartford Schools Initiative, which provides enrichment opportunities emphasizing state academic standards that enhance literacy, develop youth leadership skills, and create productive contributors to the community.
- $15,000 to Junior Achievement of Southwest New England to provide financial literacy, workforce readiness and entrepreneurship programs to 508 students in grades
K-8 at Hartford's Batchelder School.
- $10,000 to Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford to support FIRST LEGO Robotics and STEM programming to youth at the club.
- $10,000 to Family Life Education for its Early Education and Family Literacy program in Hartford’s South End, which improves the school readiness and school success of young children from low-income families.
- $10,000 to Hartford Public Library for its Parent-Child Summer Reading program, designed for parents or caregivers and their children, up to five years old, and focused on increasing school readiness, summer learning and future grade-level reading.
- $10,000 to the Mark Twain House to support educational programs that help satisfy state curriculum standards in American literature and history.
- $10,000 to the Parent Academy in support of its Child Development Initiative, increasing children’s literacy within Hartford’s Hispanic community by offering specialized teaching clusters in reading and language arts, art, problem-solving, computer skills, financial literacy and team building as well as small-group discussions with a family therapist.
- $10,000 to Village for Families & Children for its Early Childhood Learning Center, which serves Hartford children—more than 60% of whom have been expelled from one-or-more other programs—in a full-day, full-year, nationally accredited school readiness program.
- $8,000 to World Affairs Council of Connecticut to fund its Model United Nations program, providing high school students with the skills to understand global issues, an understanding of the rules of formal discussion, diversity awareness and the opportunity to meet with diplomats from more than 50 countries at the United Nations.
- $5,000 to Camp Courant for its summer day camp program, which teaches inner-city youth to develop and use critical thinking skills, to make healthy choices and to solve problems.
- $5,000 to Leadership Greater Hartford for the Common Ground program, which enlists 45-50 emerging high school leaders from Hartford and surrounding towns for training in leadership, diversity awareness and community problem solving.
About Lincoln Financial Foundation:
The Lincoln Financial Foundation, established in 1962, is a nonprofit organization formed and supported by Lincoln Financial Group. Under Lincoln Foundation guidelines, grants are made in the areas of arts, education, human services and economic/workforce development. The Lincoln Foundation allocated almost $804,000 to support nonprofits in Hartford in 2012. Since 2006, the Lincoln Foundation has contributed nearly $10.1 million to Hartford nonprofits.
About Lincoln Financial Group
Lincoln Financial Group has set aside almost $10 million of its pre-tax earnings for charitable causes that support philanthropic endeavors in the communities where its employees work. Lincoln Financial Group is the marketing name for Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) and its affiliates. With headquarters in the Philadelphia region, the companies of Lincoln Financial Group had assets under management of $186 billion as of March 31, 2013. Through its affiliated companies, Lincoln Financial Group offers: annuities; life, group life, disability and dental insurance; employer-sponsored retirement plans; savings plans; and comprehensive financial planning and advisory services. For more information, including a copy of our most recent SEC reports containing our balance sheets, please visit www.LincolnFinancial.com.
Contact: Byron Champlin
Lincoln Financial Foundation
(603) 226-5554
