The Erie Insurance (ERIE) Giving Network has announced $317,500 in grants, supporting six nonprofits serving students in Erie, Pennsylvania.
The grants are part of Erie Insurance’s Investing in Our Future competitive educational grants initiative, aimed at strengthening the alignment between instructional programming and out-of-school time activities and supporting early childhood education in the city.
Erie Insurance has donated more than $620,000 as part of the company’s Investing in Our Future grant program since it was launched in 2021. This grant funding is in addition to the $824,000 that ERIE awarded in April to 23 education nonprofits through Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program.
The 2022 Investing in Our Future grant recipients include Erie Arts & Culture, Erie Police Athletic League, Early Connections, Erie Playhouse, Gannon University and Child Development Centers, Inc. Individual project grants this year ranged from $27,500 to $75,000.
“For nearly 100 years, Erie Insurance has been committed to doing the right things in the communities we serve,” said Ann Scott, community outreach manager for Erie Insurance. “That’s why we’re excited to continue the Investing in Our Future grant program for nonprofits to help impact our community’s goal of eliminating poverty through education.”
According to Scott, ERIE’s Charitable Giving Committee aspires to impact generations through this proactive grant program. The committee was impressed by the focus in this year’s grant applications on providing access to high-quality primary education and supporting the well-being of students.
Early Connections will use ERIE’s Investing in Our Future funding to support its Early Explorers Summer Program. The grant will help provide staff training for those working with traumatized youth and summer educational programming for at-risk or victim preschoolers.
“Erie Insurance continues to demonstrate its commitment to our community’s success,” said Michelle Harkins, executive director of Early Connections. “We appreciate ERIE’s support of Early Explorers, helping children attending kindergarten in Erie’s Public Schools this fall prepare for success educationally and emotionally. In addition, the Early Explorers Summer Program helps engage parents and guardians in their child’s learning, while offering fun, family events throughout Erie County.”
To learn more about ERIE’s Investing in Our Future grant program, visit erieinsurance.com/givingnetwork/investinginourfuture
