PwC Chicago Invests in Financial Literacy and Youth Education with Local Organizations

CHICAGO, April 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- PwC US today announced that its Chicago office donated $285,000 to three Chicago-based non-profit organizations and charter schools, funded through grants from the PwC Charitable Foundation. The grants compliment the Foundation's mission and professional services firm commitment to youth education with a combination of grants and skills-based volunteer programs across the United States.

The Brighton Park Neighborhood Council (BPNC) received a grant for $150,000 to aid its "Paso a Paso" initiative, which aims to support and guide students transitioning into middle and high school with enrichment programs. BPNC is a community-based, non-profit organization serving a low-income working class neighborhood in Chicago with a mission to create safer communities and improve the learning environment at public schools while providing a voice for youth. As part of the grant, BPNC will integrate PwC's Earn Your Future financial literacy curricula into its existing programs where PwC partners and staff will volunteer.

A grant was also given to Chicago International Charter School (CICS) for $75,000 to support after school and enrichment programs on CICS campuses. CICS is a network of K-12 public charter schools with the mission to provide a college-preparatory education that meets the needs of today's student. As part of the grant, CICS also plans to implement a program based on the firm's Earn Your Future financial literacy curricula to create workshops for students in grades 3-12 at CICS Longwood.

A third grant of $60,000 was given to buildOn to help create a Youth Engagement Zone at Gage Park High School in Chicago. Working with the school community, the program will create after school and community service events for students. buildOn is a non-profit organization with the mission to break the cycle of poverty, illiteracy and low expectations through service and education.

"We are very excited to provide these grants from the PwC Charitable Foundation to help our youth. These organizations' missions of promoting youth education align with our commitment to developing future leaders, and we look forward to working with them to make a difference in our city," said Jim Kolar, managing partner of PwC's Greater Chicago Market. "As we celebrate Financial Literacy Month in April, we're thrilled to announce these grants that will empower youth through our financial literacy curriculum and further improve education."

In its first year, PwC's Earn Your Future commitment impacted 500,000 youth and 18,000 educators, and partners and staff contributed 150,000 volunteer service hours to youth education and development across the US. Additionally, PwC donated $12 million to support youth related causes. For more information on the firm's year-one impact, view PwC's Earn Your Future Year 1 in Review.

Through Earn Your Future, PwC is working to help close the educational gap by collaborating with schools and community organizations to drive improvement around financial literacy. Through this five-year multimillion dollar commitment, which aims to impact 2.5 million students and educators, PwC is leveraging its more than 39,000 people and their core skill set to improve the financial competency of our nation's youth.

About The PwC Charitable Foundation, Inc.
The PwC Charitable Foundation, Inc., a section 501(c)(3) organization, makes contributions to the people of PwC in times of financial hardship, and to nonprofit organizations that support and promote education and humanitarianism.

About PwC US
PwC US helps organizations and individuals create the value they're looking for. We're a member of the PwC network of firms in 157 countries with more than 184,000 people. We're committed to delivering quality in assurance, tax and advisory services. Tell us what matters to you and find out more by visiting us at www.pwc.com/US. Gain customized access to our insights by downloading our thought leadership app: PwC's 365™ Advancing business thinking every day

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