The Extra Mile Education Foundation is a privately funded, non-profit charity 501(3)(c) based in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, founded in 1989. The money raised by the charity is used to subsidize the tuition of low income students who attend several K-8 Catholic schools in the Pittsburgh area. Most of the students are African American. As of January 2011, five Pittsburgh schools are currently enrolled in the program.

Statistics

A January 28, 2007 article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette cites the following information about The Extra Mile Education Foundation * Of the 830 students whose education is funded by the program, most are non-Catholic. * 70% of the students come from families whose income is low enough to qualify for free or reduced priced lunches. * Of the students who graduate from the program (i.e., from 8th grade), not a single student has ever failed 9th grade, and 96% of the students graduate from high school within 4 years. * The foundation spends $1.9 million per year for scholarships. The money comes from donations, and from interest on the foundation's $17 million endowment.

Mission statement

The following is an excerpt from their official mission statement: "Extra Mile Education Foundation supports the education of urban children in select Pittsburgh parochial elementary schools ... The schools – identified by the Diocese of Pittsburgh – are in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods, and students are primarily African American and non-Catholic. Extra Mile is dedicated to sustaining these schools for their communities on an ongoing basis..." The entire mission statement can be read on the Foundation website.

Donors

Donors include: *

Heinz Endowments The Heinz Endowments is one of the largest philanthropic organizations in the United States, and was formed with the combined support from two smaller, private foundations: the Howard Heinz Endowment and the Vira I. Heinz Endowment. It awards more t ...

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Board of directors

Notable members of the foundation's board include: *

Art Rooney II Arthur Joseph Rooney II (born September 14, 1952) is the owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). Early life Arthur Joseph Rooney II was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the eldest of nine children of Patricia (Re ...

, President of the

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* Michael P. Tomlin, Head coach Pittsburgh Steelers * David Shapira, Chairman and CEO of

Giant Eagle Giant Eagle, Inc. (Western Pennsylvania English: ) and stylized as giant eagle) is an American supermarket chain with stores in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, and Maryland. The company was founded in 1918 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylv ...

Thomas Usher Thomas James Usher (born September 11, 1942) is an American business executive who has served as the president, chief operations officer and chief executive officer of U.S. Steel. He has also served as chairman of the board of directors of Marath ...

, former Chairman of

Marathon Oil Marathon Oil Corporation is an American company engaged in hydrocarbon exploration incorporated in Ohio and headquartered in the Marathon Oil Tower in Houston, Texas. A direct descendant of Standard Oil, it also runs international gas operations ...

David Zubik David Allen Zubik ( ; born September 4, 1949) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has been bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, Diocese of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania since 2007. Zubik previously was the bisho ...

, Bishop of Pittsburgh

Notes

{{reflist African Americans and education Educational charities based in the United States Non-profit organizations based in Pittsburgh Organizations established in 1989 Charities based in Pennsylvania