March 9, 2017

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This article originally appeared on the Philanthropy News Digest by Candid


Strada Education Network, formerly USA Funds, has announced a $6.5 million grant to the Jackie Robinson Foundation in New York City  in support of the organization’s education and leaderships programs and  construction of the Jackie Robinson Museum.

The grant, the largest  to the organization since it was established in 1973 by Rachel Robinson, the baseball legend’s wife, will fund an additional thirty scholarships for the organization’s JRF Scholars program, which awards four-year scholarships to outstanding high school graduates who plan to earn a baccalaureate degree from an accredited four-year college or university in the U.S,  as well as an expansion of the organization’s college success program. It also completes the construction portion of the fundraising campaign for the Jackie Robinson Museum, which will celebrate the life and work of the sports and social justice icon. Groundbreaking on the New York City museum is scheduled for this spring.

“We are honored to support this three-pronged initiative to perpetuate Jackie Robinson’s legacy of promoting equal opportunity in education,” said Strada Education Network president and CEO William D. Hansen. “Highly motivated, low-income and first-generation students of color will benefit from scholarships and support to help them navigate a path through college to fulfilling careers and leadership roles in their communities. The museum will also be a center for advancing the social justice issues, including the achievement gap in higher education, that Jackie and Rachel Robinson so courageously addressed.”