Vanguard grant aids childhood learning
Company awards $1.63M grant to Drexel University’s West Philadelphia Action for Early Learning initiative
TREDYFFRIN » The Vanguard Strong Start for Kids Program recently presented a $1.63 million grant to Drexel University’s West Philadelphia Action for Early Learning initiative.
The grant will help to improve the quality of early childhood education in the West Philadelphia Promise Zone, according to a press release. In addition to Vanguard’s grant, the William Penn Foundation also presented a three-year $987,000 grant to the Action for Early Learning initiative.
Carra Cote-Ackah, director of Vanguard’s Community Stewardship efforts, along with Drexel President John Fry and Janet Hess, board chairwoman for the William Penn Foundation, met with families from the community April 19 at the Drexel Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships.
“The Vanguard Strong Start for Kids Program is proud to support improvements in early childhood education through Drexel’s West Philadelphia Action for
Early Learning Initiative,” Cote-Ackah said in the release. “Research has demonstrated that investments made early in children’s lives can set them on the path towards more successful life outcomes, and we’re delighted to help provide more high-quality opportunities for young children to learn, grow and thrive in our local communities.”
Vanguard’s Strong Start for Kids Program is the company’s signature charitable initiative. Established in 2015, it is supported by
Vanguard’s employees — or crew as they are referred to by the company.
The program provides funding and volunteer hours to offer children the opportunity to grow, thrive and learn, with a focus on improving kindergarten readiness for children growing up in poverty in Vanguard’s three domestic locations: Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Arizona, according to the release. In addition to Vanguard employees, the program is supported by corporate commitments.
Since its inception, the Strong Start for Kids Program has approved 36 grants totaling $11.2 million (through Dec. 2017), including $7.3 million in 2017, according to Vanguard’s website.
The grant will support initiatives with Action for Early Learning initiative’s Family Ambassador program, helping to reach more families in the Promise Neighborhood, as well as implementing a “Family University” to create a community-based parenting education program, according to the release.
In addition to supporting Drexel’s Action for Early Learning initiative, Vanguard’s Strong Start For Kids Program was recently named on The Philadelphia Business Journal’s
2018 “Faces of Philanthropy” for awarding The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia with more than $3 million in grants that will help serve children of low socioeconomic status and solve barriers facing children and families in the Philadelphia region, according to the release.
Vanguard is one of the country’s largest investment management companies. As of Jan. 31, Vanguard managed $5.1 trillion in global assets, and employed more than 16,000 worldwide.