NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Equitable, a leading financial services organization and principal franchise of Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EQH), today announced its expanded support of DonorsChoose, committing $150,000 in matching gifts to educator fundraising projects for masks, hand sanitizer and other supplies to help educators and students safely return to classrooms across the country.

Through DonorsChoose, a nonprofit education crowdfunding platform, educators can create projects requesting personal protective equipment such as face masks, shields, disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer for their classrooms. Equitable Foundation will match public contributions toward these projects up to $150,000. This new grant from Equitable Foundation is expected to assist 500 educators and at least 15,000 students.

This new commitment builds on Equitable Foundation’s previous $500,000 commitment to the DonorsChoose Keep Kids Learning program in April. Keep Kids Learning enabled teachers to send personalized educational care packages – ranging from shelf-stable groceries to traditional school supplies such as crayons and building blocks – to their students’ homes to help facilitate remote learning. Equitable Foundation’s grant to Keep Kids Learning has funded requests from 500 teachers, benefitting more than 20,000 students.

“Educators around the country are giving their all to create a sense of normalcy and safety for our country’s children, working creatively to help them continue to learn in person and online in new ways. Often, they are then caring for their own families and putting their own needs last,” said Steve Scanlon, Head of Group Retirement at Equitable. “We want our educators to know they are valued and give them the supplies they need to return to school as safely as possible.”

Equitable Foundation is also supporting 3 Heart Strings’ efforts to create PPE kits. 3 Heart Strings was founded by middle and high school students, several of whom are students or graduates of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. 3 Heart Strings makes and sells products including face masks and donates 100 percent of proceeds to charity each month. Financial professionals from Equitable’s Retirement Benefits Group will distribute the kits to Broward County, Fla. schools that need them.

Equitable previously began delivering PPE supplies needed for schools to support the health and safety of educators and students in the spring and summer. Among the items donated are more than 8,000 face masks and shields, 20,000 bottles of hand sanitizer and 7,000 packages of disinfecting wipes to schools. Equitable employees also volunteered to distribute grab-and-go meals over the summer months at more than 80 schools in 10 states.

About Equitable

Equitable, a principal franchise of Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EQH), has been one of America’s leading financial services providers since 1859. With the mission to help clients secure their financial well-being, Equitable provides advice, protection and retirement strategies to individuals, families and small businesses. Equitable has more than 8,000 employees and Equitable Advisors financial professionals and serves 2.8 million clients across the country. Please visit equitable.com for more information.

About DonorsChoose

DonorsChoose is the leading way to give to public schools. Since 2000, more than 4 million people and partners have contributed $1 billion to support 1.7 million teacher requests for classroom resources and experiences. As the most trusted crowdfunding platform for teachers, donors, and district administrators alike, DonorsChoose vets each request, ships the funded resources directly to the teacher, and provides thank yous and reporting to donors and school leaders. Charity Navigator and GuideStar have awarded DonorsChoose, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, their highest ratings for transparency and accountability. For more information, visit www.donorschoose.org.

About 3 Heart Strings

3 Heart Strings, a 501(c)3, was started in 2014 by three Florida students determined to make the world a better place. 3 Heart Strings founders created the organization to allow them to help others and raise funds for various causes while doing something they enjoyed. 3 Heart Strings makes and sells products including bracelets, face masks and bumper stickers. 100% of profits are donated to a different chosen charity each month.

Equitable is the brand name of the retirement and protection subsidiaries of Equitable Holdings, Inc., including Equitable Financial Life Insurance Company (NY, NY), Equitable Financial Life Insurance Company of America, an AZ stock company with main administrative headquarters in Jersey City, NJ, and Equitable Distributors, LLC. Equitable Advisors is the brand name of Equitable Advisors, LLC (member FINRA, SIPC) (Equitable Financial Advisors in MI and TN). The 161-year history reference applies exclusively to Equitable Financial Life Insurance Company.

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