Heidi May Wilson, Senior Manager, Media Relations
ALEXANDRIA, Va., (Aug. 20, 2020)—Today, National PTA announced the recipients of $715,000 in grants the association is distributing to over 100 PTAs across the country to help meet the critical needs of students, families, teachers and schools due to COVID-19. The funding is made possible by PTA Proud National Sponsors TikTok, NortonLifeLock and Huntington Ingalls Industries.
“COVID-19 has presented significant challenges for so many students, families and schools. This was underscored by the large number of applications we received for relief funding,” said Leslie Boggs, president of National PTA. “National PTA is grateful to TikTok, NortonLifeLock and Huntington Ingalls Industries. Because of their generosity, our grant recipients will be able to provide critical support to their school communities—focusing on social and emotional wellbeing, resources for distance teaching and learning, bridging the digital divide and addressing food insecurity.”
Following are the grant recipients:
An additional $550,000 in funding was also granted in June to PTAs that participated in National PTA’s School of Excellence program thanks to support from TikTok. In April, TikTok named National PTA as a beneficiary of its Community Relief Fund. As part of this effort, TikTok also matched donations made to National PTA by users in the platform during the month of May.
"We're proud to support educators and students who cannot be in the classroom because of the pandemic," said Belinda Frazier, head of culture and diversity at TikTok. “By contributing school supplies, meals, mental health resources, as well as internet and device access for distance learning to PTA schools in 27 states, we hope to provide some relief to families, students and teachers during this unprecedented start to the school year.”
With the large number of applications National PTA received for COVID-19 relief funding, NortonLifeLock and Huntington Ingalls Industries stepped up to enable the association to provide even more grants to PTAs and school communities in need. NortonLifeLock is funding all of the eligible local PTAs in Arizona that applied for a grant.
“Our commitment to Cyber Safety extends beyond helping to ensure people, their devices and identities stay more secure online,” said Kim Allman, head of corporate responsibility and government affairs at NortonLifeLock. “Having access to the right tools and resources for online learning is more critical than ever. We’re proud to support the local Arizona PTAs to help deliver these needed resources.”
In addition to providing the funding to PTAs and school communities, National PTA launched a comprehensive webpage at PTA.org/COVID-19 with resources, tools and information to support families and educators amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The association has also focused several episodes of its Notes from the Backpack podcast on topics of concern for families due to COVID-19. As part of National PTA’s Back-to-School Week (Sept. 14-18), the association will be sharing information and resources at PTA.org/BackToSchool and on social media to help PTA leaders, parents, students and teachers navigate the new school year. Further, National PTA continues to call on Congress to provide more resources immediately to schools.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is not over,” added President Boggs. “National PTA and PTAs across the country remain committed to advocating to safeguard the health and safety of our nation’s children and make sure students, families, schools and communities have what they need during this challenging time.”
About National PTA
National PTA® comprises millions of families, students, teachers, administrators, and business and community leaders devoted to the educational success of children and the promotion of family engagement in schools. PTA is a registered 501(c) (3) nonprofit association that prides itself on being a powerful voice for all children, a relevant resource for families and communities, and a strong advocate for public education. Membership in PTA is open to anyone who wants to be involved and make a difference for the education, health and welfare of children and youth. For more information, visit PTA.org.