Nike was among three companies recognized for its Nike School Innovation Fund at a White House education roundtable with business leaders and administration officials. A statement from the White House noted that the Nike School Innovation Fund has provided $7 million to support students, teachers and principals in Portland Public Schools and the Hillsboro and Beaverton school districts since being formed in 2007.
Nike employees also have volunteered at the schools, the White House noted in a news release. The Nike School Innovation Fund will provide a year of funding,
expertise and policy guidance, serving as a model for a larger statewide
education plan being formulated by Gov. John Kitzhaber.
The fund was set to provide a total of $9 million over a five-year span when it began in 2007. But the White House statement noted that the goal of the program has been boosted by $1 million since then.
Among those in attendance at the White House meeting was Heidi ONeill, Nike’s vice president for women’s training and a founding board member of the company’s Nike School Innovation Fund. Other companies recognized were increased commitments to education programs were Bank of America and Microsoft. Executives from Intel, Time Warner, ING, State Farm, Accenture and AT&T were also in attendance at the meeting.
The White House statement regarding Nike said, “In the past four years, the Nike School Innovation Fund (NSIF) has
provided $7 million in innovation grants and thousands of volunteer
hours by senior Nike leaders and other employees to support students,
teachers and principals in three Oregon public school districts. The
Fund is announcing a new commitment as a primary partner of Oregon
Governor John Kitzhaber and his initiative to help make the state’s
entire education system more nimble, innovative and supportive of the
key grades of 9 to 12. With this news, Nike’s commitment to
strengthening education in Oregon totals $10 million. The NSIF will now
provide a year of funding, expertise and policy guidance that is
expected to serve as a model for the Governor’s larger statewide
education transformation plan.”
