Rite Aid Foundation awards $5M in KidCents regional grants
The Rite Aid Foundation has completed another round of KidCents regional grants, this time disbursing more than $5 million to 233 nonprofits. The KidCents Regional Grants Program offers grants of between $15,000 and $30,000 to fund out-of-school programs focused on children’s nutrition, physical fitness and academic success.
“The Rite Aid Foundation is committed to being a caring neighbor and making meaningful differences for the children and families who live in the communities we serve,” said Tracy Henderson, director of the Rite Aid Foundation and charitable giving initiatives. “The Regional Grant Program significantly expands the reach and impact of our KidCents program, while enabling our partner organizations to provide critical out-of-school time programs that are vital to keeping children and adolescents on track for future success.”
In order for organizations to be considered for a grant, they were required to give priority to programs supporting communities in need outside of school time. Among the charities receiving funds were such national organizations as the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Girls on the Run, as well as regional community-based organizations like Philly Girls in Motion in Havertown, Pa., and Inspiring Minds in Warren, Ohio. Several organizations participating in the KidCents in-store round-up program also received grants, the company said.
"We are immensely grateful for the tremendous support of The Rite Aid Foundation in helping us expand our ongoing partnership with the parents of Azusa students in providing them the tools to thrive,” said Jennifer Hicks, executive director of Neighborhood Homework House in Azusa, Calif. “This grant will enable hundreds of children and youth to participate in our after-school programs where, together with their parents, we believe their futures are being rewritten — one graduate at a time.”
Neighborhood Homework House offers a place for children and youth to go for tools and support for academic success, and its youth-focused programs integrate STEM exposure. Other recipients include Hand in Hand in Everett, Wash. — which offers a safe environment for underserved, low-income children in grades 1-5 to engage in healthy activities meant to improve physical, emotional and relational health; Downtown Boxing Gym Youth Program in Detroit, which offers an after-school space for children ages 8-18, as well as tutoring, strength and conditioning training and community-building exercises; and Island Harvest Food Bank in Bethpage, N.Y., which focuses on child nutrition.
Another recipient is EducationWorks in Philadelphia, which offers a Full STEAM Ahead program that focuses on technology and exploration through open-source, inquiry-based online modules and hands-on activities.
"We are truly grateful to The Rite Aid Foundation for helping us 'gear up' to win," said Jessica Hauser, Executive Director of the Downtown Boxing Gym Youth Program. "Our free after-school program combines academics and athletics, teaching students teamwork, discipline and other important life-skills. This KidCents grant will enable us to expand our athletic programming and put more Detroit students on a path to winning futures."
This cycle of grants kicked off in April, and the foundation said it plans to launch another cycle in 2020.