MAZDA FOUNDATION (USA), INC. AWARDS GRANTS TO ALLEVIATE HUNGER AND CREATE EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE OPPORTUNITIES IN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE U.S.
The Board of Trustees of the Mazda Foundation (USA) Inc., has awarded funding for seven programs this year as it deepens partnerships with organizations across the United States to help address food insecurity and some of its many root causes, particularly equitable access to education and job opportunities. In total, the Mazda Foundation awarded over $475,000 to seven organizations through its yearly grant giving process.
The Mazda Foundation’s partnerships now serve expanded populations across several major metropolitan areas throughout the United States, with funding concentrated in Southern California and the greater Huntsville, AL, area.
“The awards we’re announcing today will help us deepen and, in some cases, grow the work that we do in communities across the country,” said Tamara Mlynarczyk, manager of public affairs for Mazda North American Operations and president of the Mazda Foundation (USA), Inc. “We are very proud of the partnerships we’ve built over the last several years that help us deliver food security and educational and workforce opportunities to people. We hope that with these awards we can continue to make a direct impact on even more Americans as they navigate the unique challenges these last few years have presented.”
This year’s awards seek to extend STEM education and workforce opportunities to underserved young adults in high school and beyond. Awards include funding for the second year of the culinary training program at Bracken’s Kitchen (Garden Grove, CA); funding for a holistic educational and job mentoring program established by College Track L.A. (Los Angeles), funding for dozens of additional students to compete in a factory automation competition for high school and community college students developed by the Robotics Education and Competition Foundation (Huntsville, AL); funding for two more years of AVID programming in three schools in Madison City, AL; funding for the Full Circle automotive technician training program for formerly incarcerated individuals established by Vehicles for Change (Halethorpe, MD); and funding for a two-year commitment to bring FUSE Studios’ STEAM labs to 16 additional schools in Southern California. In addition to those programs, the Mazda Foundation provided a grant to Second Harvest Food Bank (Irvine, CA), marking the 18th year of support for Second Harvest.
About Mazda Foundation (USA), Inc.
As the corporate foundation of Mazda North American Operations (MNAO), the Mazda Foundation has donated more than $15.2 million to children’s organizations, educational scholarships, food banks, environmental programs, and disaster relief efforts since 1992. To learn more about the Mazda Foundation, please visit www.mazdafoundation.org.
