Achievement Foundation Awards More than Half a Million Dollars in Grants to Junior Achievement Offices to Expand the JA Company Program®

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., May 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Achievement Foundation announced today the awarding of Hugh B. Sweeny Jr. Grants totaling $585,000 over two years to Junior Achievement offices in 13 communities across the country. The grants will support the expansion of the JA Company Program^®, JA's premier entrepreneurship education initiative, which offers teens the chance to start and run student-led businesses. Each JA office will receive a $25,000 grant for the first year, with a second year grant of $20,000. Grants will be used for the hiring of a staff member whose time is dedicated to the growth of the JA Company Program in that community.

The recipient communities are:

• JA of Arkansas (Arkansas)
• JA of the Central Carolinas (Charlotte, NC)
• JA of Central Florida (Orlando, FL)
• JA of Central Maryland (Baltimore, MD)
• JA of Central Texas (Austin, TX)
• JA of Chicago (Chicago, IL)
• JA of Delaware (Delaware)
• JA of Greater Washington (Washington, D.C.)
• JA of the Michigan Great Lakes (Grand Rapids, MI)
• JA of South Florida (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
• JA of Southwest New England (Hartford, CT)
• JA of Northern New England (Boston, MA)
• JA of the Upper Midwest (Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN)

"Entrepreneurship is critical to the long-term well-being of our nation," said Jack E. Kosakowski, president and CEO of Junior Achievement USA. "We greatly appreciate the Achievement Foundation's investment in helping our young people discover what it means to be an entrepreneur."

The Hugh B. Sweeny Jr. award is named after Hugh B., "Jim," Sweeny, Jr. who served Junior Achievement for more than 32 years, including many years as National Program Director. During his tenure, Mr. Sweeny managed and expanded the National Junior Achievers Conference from 60 participants in 1948 to more than 3,000 delegates in 1977.

About Junior Achievement USA^® (JA)

Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices. JA programs are delivered by corporate and community volunteers, and provide relevant, hands-on experiences that give students from kindergarten through high school knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship. Today, JA reaches 4.8 million students per year in more than 100 markets across the United States, with an additional 5.6 million students served by operations over 100 other countries worldwide. Visit www.ja.org for more information.

About the Achievement Foundation

The Achievement Foundation, Inc. was formed almost 60 years ago to receive grants, gifts, and bequests for the giving of financial aid for charitable, scientific or educational programs to groups or clubs of boys and girls for the purpose of encouraging them in productive enterprises. The Foundation is exempt from income taxes under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. As such, it is exempt from state and federal income taxes on income related to its tax-exempt purpose and contributions to the Foundation are deductible as charitable contributions for income tax purposes. The Foundation has had a long-standing (albeit non-exclusive) relationship with Junior Achievement through contributions and providing loans to local JA areas in need of financial assistance. Over the past few years, the Foundation has broadened its programs and activities to include grants.  

SOURCE Junior Achievement USA