Pittsburgh Promise is getting $200,000 from Direct Energy, over two years. The Promise pays up to $40,000 for a student to attend any Pennsylvania college, be it a public, private, four-year, or two-year school.
Since its start in 2008, it has sent some 3,200 Pittsburgh kids to college. But, that's only part of the Promise. In addition to making sure kids have access to higher education, the effort has also been working to improve student performance.
"In the last four years we moved from having only 39% of our schools in Pittsburgh meeting federal standards to 70 percent today. And we will do our very best to invest in the quality of life in our neighborhoods so that the places where our kids live and go to school are places that are conducive to learning," said Saleem Ghubril, Executive Director of Pittsburgh Promise.
The Promise is funded through private donations. The Direct Energy announcement came during a softball game between Pittsburgh Promise students and Direct Energy employees.
