By Allison Watkinson
TLL Reporter
PNC Foundation has expanded its partnership with Fred Rogers Productions with a charitable grant that will support its Alma’s Way series.
Made through its PNC Grow Up Great initiative, the $1.4 million grant will help grow both the Alma’s Way franchise and the organization’s various community outreach programs.
The outreach programs supported by the grant will focus on promoting initiatives with educational and pro-social themes.
These initatives will include four new Alma’s Way Explore Your City events and 49 Be My Neighbor Day community activations.
“Fred Rogers Productions has been a terrific collaborator from the earliest days of PNC Grow Up Great, creating quality programming that encourages young children to discover, learn and grow,” said PNC Foundation president, Sally McCrady. “Be My Neighbor Days is one of my favorite initiatives across PNC’s markets, helping families think about how they can be great neighbors and the importance of keeping kindness in mind. We’re excited to see the Alma’s Way Explore Your City events take shape.”
Through the grant, the non-profit studio will also develop a wide range of onscreen content for Alma’s Way, including all-new episodes for the series.
The PNC Foundation will be recognized by Fred Roger’s Production’s across traditional broadcasting and digital platforms for its contribution to making the new Alma’s Way episodes possible.
The series follows a confident 6-year-old Puerto Rican girl named Alma Rivera, who lives with her family in the Bronx among a diverse group of friends and community members.
In every episode, Alma models crucial developmental skills such as self-awareness, critical thinking, empathy, resilience and responsible decision-making.
The series is created by Sonia Manzano and produced by Fred Rogers Productions in association with Pipeline Studios.
Fred Rogers Productions is a non-profit organization that was founded by Fred Rogers in 1971 as the producer of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood for PBS.
Since its initial creation, Fred Rogers Productions has produced several high-quality educational children’s franchises for public broadcasting networks.
“We are so pleased to continue our partnership with the PNC Foundation, a valued supporter of educational and arts programs,” said Fred Rogers Productions CEO, Paul Siefken. “Their sponsorship of our programming and outreach initiatives enables us to continue providing valuable content and hands-on experiences for children and families in their neighborhoods nationwide.”
Principally funded by the PNC Financial Services Group, the PNC Foundation focuses on providing support to nonprofits that provide services related to childhood education, community and economic development.
Through its PNC Grow Up Great program, the foundation has created a multi-year, bilingual initiative to help prepare young children for future success.
Photo Source: Fred Rogers Productions
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