MAZDA FOUNDATION (USA), INC. AWARDS GRANTS TO ALLEVIATE HUNGER AND CREATE EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE OPPORTUNITIES IN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE U.S.

Grants totaling over $500,000 awarded to support organizations across the United States

IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Trustees of the Mazda Foundation (USA) Inc., has awarded funding for seven programs this year, renewing the organization's commitment to addressing food insecurity and some of its many root causes, particularly equitable access to education and job opportunities. In total, the Mazda Foundation awarded over $500,000 to organizations across the United States.

"The awards we're announcing today will bring food security, STEM learning opportunities, and job skills to more people than we've ever served before," said Tamara Mlynarczyk, manager of public affairs for Mazda North American Operations and president of the Mazda Foundation (USA), Inc. "We are very proud of the partnerships we've built, and thrilled to be able to deepen them in 2024."

The Mazda Foundation's partnerships continue to serve increasing numbers of people across several major metropolitan areas throughout the United States, with funding concentrated in Southern California, the greater Huntsville, AL, area, and the greater Baltimore, MD, area.

This year's awards seek to extend STEM education and workforce opportunities to underserved young adults in high school and beyond. Awards include the following:

• Food Security: funding for Second Harvest Food Bank (Irvine, CA), marking the 19^th consecutive year of support for Second Harvest.
• Education: funding for a holistic educational and job mentoring program established by College Track L.A. (Los Angeles); continued funding of FUSE Studios' STEM labs in 7 schools in Southern California, and the launch of 9 additional schools in 2024; funding for high school students to create robotics teams and participate in competitions developed by the Robotics Education and Competition Foundation (Huntsville, AL); funding for another year of AVID programming in three schools in Madison City, AL.
• Workforce Development: funding for the third year of the culinary training program at Bracken's Kitchen (Garden Grove, CA); funding for the Full Circle automotive technician training program for formerly incarcerated individuals established by Vehicles for Change (Halethorpe, MD).

About Mazda Foundation (USA), Inc.

As the corporate foundation of Mazda North American Operations (MNAO), the Mazda Foundation has donated more than $15.6 million to children's organizations, educational scholarships, food banks, environmental programs, and disaster relief efforts since 1992. To learn more about the Mazda Foundation, please visit www.mazdafoundation.org.

SOURCE Mazda Foundation (USA), Inc.