Players Coalition, a nonprofit founded by Anquan Boldin and Malcolm Jenkins, is donating $350,000 in grants nationwide to help provide K-12 students and schools with internet access, broadband connectivity and technology devices to make learning from home easier.
The grants are being awarded to 11 districts, schools and technology programs, including Dallas and Ector County in West Texas. Other cities are Baltimore, Boston, New York, New Orleans, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, Seattle, Washington and Palm Beach, Florida.
Players Coalition partnered with Chiefs for Change to ensure connectivity for low-income students in several of the selected markets.
“Education is a basic right. And this year, more than ever before, all students need access to computers and internet access at home,” Boldin says. “We’ve already lost so much in 2020 due to COVID-19, but it should not be a year where our nation’s children lose out on learning because their families have limited financial resources.”
Almost 20% of high school age students in the United States are often unable to complete homework assignments because they do not have reliable access to a computer or internet connection at home. Those numbers are even higher for African American and Hispanic students, according to a recent study by the Pew Research Center.
“In football, plays don’t work unless players get the signal, from the sideline, to the quarterback, to every player on the field,” says Chiefs for Change CEO Mike Magee. “And in today’s world, students can’t do their schoolwork without a signal at home. Millions of children are waiting for that signal—an internet signal so they can learn, whether their classes are happening in person or online.
“With the generous support of Players Coalition, we are expanding internet access to more students.”
This year’s grant recipients are part of a larger initiative from Players Coalition. Since 2019, the PC Charitable Foundation has awarded more than $675,000 in grant funds to schools throughout the country to address the digital divide by ensuring internet connectivity and access to STEAM education programming and technology.