People's United Bank

People's United Community Foundation Awards $100,000 Grant to Help Classrooms in Need

BRIDGEPORT, CT –People’s United Community Foundation, the philanthropic arm of People’s United Bank, announced today a $100,000 grant to DonorsChoose.org; an online charity dedicated to providing students in public schools with the resources and materials they need to learn.

People’s United Community Foundation has joined DonorsChoose.org as a “Double Your Impact” matching program partner in support of youth development initiatives that improve the quality of education in school districts that serve low-to moderate-income students. Through DonorsChoose.org, teachers submit project requests for materials and resources they need for their classroom. As a matching program partner, the $100,000 People’s United Community Foundation grant will provide 50 percent matching funds for classroom projects that meet the foundation’s criteria throughout Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Westchester County and Long Island, New York. The grant will be allocated towards eligible classroom projects on a first-come, first-served basis, until the $100,000 is exhausted.

“With school budgets under intense pressure throughout our communities, many teachers are faced with the challenge of limited classroom resources,” said Vincent Santilli, Executive Director of People’s United Community Foundation. “By supporting DonorsChoose.org we are able to help public school teachers in underserved communities obtain classroom materials that are necessary for students to learn and grow.”

DonorsChoose.org is calling upon citizens to activate the People’s United Community Foundation matching funds by visiting the DonorsChoose.org website and making a contribution to a People’s United Community Foundation supported project. People’s United Community Foundation will then match those individual contributions to bring the projects to funding completion, at which time DonorsChoose.org will purchase the materials and have them delivered to the classroom.

“Working with a community partner like People’s United Community Foundation allows DonorsChoose.org to reach additional teachers that need resources, while also engaging more citizens in supporting our public schools,” said Charles Best, founder and CEO of DonorsChoose.org. “We’re excited that People’s United Community Foundation has committed to a Double Your Impact campaign for the second year and we look forward to the tremendous impact it will have on teachers and students throughout the Northeast.”

About the People’s United Community Foundation
Established in 2007, People’s United Community Foundation was formed to help support programs and activities that enhance the quality of life for citizens in the communities that People’s United Bank serves. With special emphasis on programs designed to promote economic self-sufficiency, education and improved conditions for low-income families and neighborhoods, the funding priorities of the Foundation include: community development, youth development, and affordable housing.

About DonorsChoose.org
Founded in 2000, DonorsChoose.org (www.donorschoose.org) is a nonprofit website where public school teachers describe specific educational projects for their students, and donors can choose the projects they want to support. After completing a project, the donor hears back from the classroom they supported in the form of photographs and teacher thank-you letters. To date, 187,000 public and charter school teachers have used the site to secure funding for $86 million in books, art supplies, technology, and other resources that their students need to learn. Through DonorsChoose.org, individuals from all walks of life have helped 5.1 million students.
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