Founding Donors Provide Nearly $4M to Help Students Participate in Online Learning

Philadelphia, PA – April 2, 2020 – The Philadelphia School Partnership (PSP) today announced that Philadelphia area donors have come together to launch the Jump-Start Philly Schools Fund, aimed at meeting the immediate needs of low-income students and families across the city during the school closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and providing resources to support schools and teachers when they eventually transition students back to full-time learning environments.

When schools announced closures last month, PSP reached out to schools of all types in Philadelphia, education organizations and community groups to assess the education-related challenges facing families, school leaders and teachers. Three areas stood out:

  • Closing the Device Gap
  • Transitioning to Virtual Learning
  • Preparing for Academic Recovery

Backed by founding pledges from Janine and Jeff Yass (The Susquehanna Foundation, $2.6 million), the Lenfest Foundation ($1 million) and the McCausland Foundation ($200,000)—the Jump-Start Philly Schools Fund aims to raise $6 million or more to address these needs over the coming months for students enrolled in all types of schools. With its first grants, the Fund is helping more than 100 public charter and private Catholic schools supply laptop computers to 15,000 students who need them for learning at home.

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