KPMG U.S. Foundation announces Reaching New Heights Program grant recipients

Promoting access and equity in higher education through diversity pipeline initiatives

A message from Anita Whitehead

The KPMG U.S. Foundation is proud to announce that it has awarded five institutions a total of $125,000 in funding for the inaugural year of our Reaching New Heights Program. Reaching New Heights is a new grant and matching gift program designed to promote access and equity in higher education, increase awareness of pipeline diversity at institutions and create opportunities for collaboration between KPMG professionals and educators within our communities. Each selected institution will receive a $25,000 grant to fund a new or existing diversity program and participate in a 2:1 match up to $500,000 in eligible donations made by KPMG professionals, partners and retired partners.

I am pleased to announce this year’s five grant recipients:

LaGuardia Community College in Queens, NY, seeks to fund a summer bridge program, Career Start 2.0, which provides intensive math instruction and guided career exploration to prepare students for enrollment in a degree program at LaGuardia Community College.
Central Washington University in Ellensburg, WA, is collaborating with the University of Washington Bothell to create an educational internship and workshop program for interns and corporate managers who identify as Black, Indigenous or people of color (BIPOC).
Wagner College in Staten Island, NY, through its Nicolais School of Business, will provide students a 3-week internship with local businesses or nonprofits to develop students’ career and business skills, strengthen interpersonal communication and facilitate work experience to help them secure full-time internships and jobs.
Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA, plans to introduce THINK it, SEE it, BE it: a diversity pipeline business camp and program within its School of Business, to address the diminishing pipeline of diverse talent in the fields of accounting, finance and cybersecurity while collaborating with school districts, small business owners, faculty and other community partners.
Springfield Technical Community College in Springfield, MA, seeks to provide mentorship and resources to Latina and low-income female students through its BLOOM program, which includes four one-credit courses covering topics such as digital literacy, business exploration, transfer readiness and career readiness.

This program aligns with our firm’s Accelerate 2025 commitment to advancing equity in both our workplace and society by providing enhanced access to meaningful opportunities to help develop a more diverse workforce for the future.

We look forward to working with and supporting these five institutions as the 2022-2023 academic year begins and will share more updates throughout the year.