The Comcast Foundation has awarded $617,000 to 30 nonprofits in Pennsylvania for promoting volunteerism and service, expanding digital literacy and building tomorrow’s leaders.
About half of the companies awarded were located in Pittsburgh. The biggest grant, $150,000 went to the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh. Other companies awarded included various Big Brother Big Sisters chapters, Boys and Girls Clubs chapters, Girl Scouts of Western Pennsylvania, and the Japan-American Society of Pennsylvania.
“We think that if we get these kids to think about these things, and think about the fact that they can help others in their community, and they can be prepared to succeed in their lives and help others, that’s something that’s sustainable, and that’s the kind of things that interest us the most,” said Comcast spokesman Bob Grove.
The grant helped launch My.Future through the Sarah Heinz House, which will teach kids about technology. The Urban League will also use the money to help kids understand technology and eventually learn to program or work with robots.
The Japan-American Society will use the grant to continue their culture exposure in schools. The money will go toward buying origami paper, kimonos, calligraphy supplies and other tools to teach about the culture.
“When you bring the world closer to Western Pennsylvania you have students who think, ‘Hey that’s really interesting, maybe I can study abroad in high school, maybe I want to study Japanese, maybe I want to study another language,’ and that builds their confidence and really can bring them to greater things when they get older,” said Amy Boots, the group's executive director.
The awards were granted in 2014, but the Comcast foundation announced them Tuesday.
