PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--PPG (NYSE:PPG) today announced that the PPG Foundation completed grants totaling more than $1.4 million in 2017 to support educational and community sustainability programs in the Greater Pittsburgh area, where PPG maintains its global headquarters and several facilities. The grants highlight PPG’s commitment to supporting local communities where its employees live, work and play.

The grant recipients and funding purposes were:

• Allegheny Intermediate Unit: $25,000 for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programming and professional development for public libraries, Head Start classrooms and elementary schools in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties to enhance their early learning programming.
• Allegheny Land Trust: $3,000 for the STEM-based Water Resources and the Web of Life program for middle and high school students.
• American Chemical Society: $5,500 to support National Chemistry Week and provide funding for top organic chemistry graduate students to attend the society’s Graduate Research Symposium to engage in career development workshops and networking.
• American National Red Cross – Western Pennsylvania Region: $200,000 in relief for victims of 2017 disasters, including hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.
• Asset: $20,000 for the Project-Based Learning Teacher Externships program, which provides classroom educators with teacher externships at STEM-related businesses.
• Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh: $10,000 to provide free access to STEM Super Science: Robotics & Coding programs and resources for 2,500 children, their families and educators.
• Carnegie Mellon University: $3,000 for sponsorship of an educational session at the Chemical Engineering Graduate Student Association Symposium.
• Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh: $40,000 for sponsorship of the Hands-On Harley exhibit and Color Days.
• Franklin County Historical Society: $5,000 for general operating support.
• Friends of the Monroeville Public Library: $2,500 for PPG @ MPL – Where Science and Kids Meet for the Summer, which is a series of programs and activities that encourage engagement in and understanding of STEM topics.
• Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank: $30,000 for general support to feed people in need and mobilize the community to eliminate hunger.
• Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Sciences (PGSS) Campaign: $20,000 for a five-week summer residential program at Carnegie Mellon University to help increase the number of Pennsylvania students who are academically and socially prepared for post-secondary education in science and math.
• Pirates Charities: $5,000 for educational materials for the Pirates Education Days program, which provides schoolchildren with the opportunity to attend a baseball game with an academic focus.
• Pittsburgh Symphony: $5,000 for the Kraft Heinz Audience of the Future program, which provides students with opportunities to explore science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) concepts through hands-on technologies and maker activities focused on music and the science of sound.
• Pittsburgh Trust For Cultural Resources: $43,500 for arts education programming and curriculum refinement for the Makers Space Program.
• Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium:$550,000 for ongoing educational program support.
• Reading Is FUNdamental Pittsburgh: $10,000 for math- and science-themed activities that reinforce concepts presented through read-aloud books as part of the organization’s Books for Keeps Program.
• Springdale Free Public Library: $1,000 for ongoing programming and materials.
• The Extra Mile Education Foundation: $8,000 in financial support for urban children and their families seeking a values-based pre-kindergarten through eighth grade education in select parochial schools.
• United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania: $406,250 for the Impact Fund campaign; United for Women Initiative; disaster relief; Children & Youth STEM; and other initiatives.
• WQED Multimedia: $10,000 to support “Design Lives Here,” a STEM-based supplemental educational program for students in fifth through eighth grades.

“We are proud to support programs that increase the educational opportunities for youth and quality of life for all citizens in PPG’s hometown,” said Sue Sloan, executive director, the PPG Foundation.

PPG and the PPG Foundation also committed $7.5 million to the Carnegie Science Center of Pittsburgh in 2017. The largest donation in the center's history is earmarked for a new building, scheduled to be completed this year, which will be named the PPG Science Pavilion. Click here to learn more.

PPG and the PPG Foundation aim to bring color and brightness to PPG communities around the world. We invested more than $10.5 million in 2017, supporting hundreds of community organizations across 29 countries. By investing in educational opportunities, we help grow today’s skilled workforce and develop tomorrow’s innovators in fields related to coatings and manufacturing. Plus, we empower PPG employees to multiply their impact for causes that are important to them by supporting their volunteer efforts and charitable giving. Learn more at www.ppgcommunities.com and follow @PPG_Communities on Twitter.

PPG: WE PROTECT AND BEAUTIFY THE WORLD™

At PPG (NYSE:PPG), we work every day to develop and deliver the paints, coatings and materials that our customers have trusted for more than 130 years. Through dedication and creativity, we solve our customers’ biggest challenges, collaborating closely to find the right path forward. With headquarters in Pittsburgh, we operate and innovate in more than 70 countries and reported net sales of $14.8 billion in 2017. We serve customers in construction, consumer products, industrial and transportation markets and aftermarkets. To learn more, visit www.ppg.com.