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Six local organizations received grants to help Salt Lake City residents impacted by COVID-19

Salt Lake City— Six area non-profit organizations have received social impact grants from L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) as part of the company’s effort to provide relief to communities adversely affected by COVID-19. 

The L3Harris Foundation this month distributed grants in 19 states to organizations that applied for funds to address a wide range of needs, including the digital divide, food insecurity, veteran aid, mentorship for STEM students, economic opportunities for small businesses and others. 

Local recipients include Backman Elementary, Building Up Youth, Disabled Rights Action Committee, For the Kids, Salt Lake COVID-19 Mutual Aid and Utah Valley Refugees:

  • Backman Elementary provides academic support to meet the needs of special education students. To maintain digital inclusion, Backman Elementary will use the grant to provide students I-Pads for grades K-2 students to access digital learning while working from home. www.backman.slcschools.org.
  • Building Up Youth trains schools, students and parents in community building and conflict resolution skills. During the pandemic, Salt Lake City had one of the highest infection rates in the county. With the high rate of infection, students were especially hit hard. Building Up Youth will use the grant to address basic economic and electronic educational needs. www.buildingupyouth.org.
  • The Disabled Rights Action Committee works to establish equal rights for people with disabilities through federal and state laws. Retirement homes have been an epicenter for infections, with more than 50% of all COVID-19 deaths being related to nursing homes. L3Harris’ grant will be used to help provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to high-risk adults. www.disabledrightsutah.org.
  • For the Kids is dedicated to making sure no child goes hungry. With the grant, For the Kids will expand services to assist more children facing hunger due to COVID-19. www.forthekids.org.
  • Salt Lake COVID-19 Mutual Aid (SLCMA) provides emergency and food assistance to families affected by COVID-19. SLCMA will use the funding to provide cash aid for families to purchase groceries and protective equipment. www.covid19mutualaidslc.com.
  • Utah Valley Refugees mission is to assist refugees in their quest to become self-reliant. The organization plans to use the grant to provide emergency healthcare needs, employment assistance and expanding education resources to refugees in the area. www.utahvalleyrefugees.org.

The grants are part of L3Harris’ $2 million commitment to support organizations involved in COVID-19 relief and recovery efforts around the world. The company has provided funds to COVID-19 Response and Recovery Funds administered by local United Way agencies and the American Red Cross, and is providing a 2X match to employee designated gifts to these and other organizations. 

In addition, L3Harris has provided more than $450 million in accelerated payments to small business suppliers in 45 states to sustain the nation’s supply chain and company employees have volunteered to provide respirators, free communications apps and STEM-oriented “Tech in 10” videos for students. Employees also are volunteering to assist organizations through the company’s L3Harris Investing for Tomorrow (LIFT) volunteer program, which supports these and other initiatives throughout the year. 

“The pandemic has placed a tremendous strain on all facets of our Salt Lake City community,” said Brendan O’Connell, President, Broadband Communications Systems, L3Harris. “The L3Harris Foundation social impact grants will help provide some relief to those most in need – especially students, parents, communities and small businesses in areas where our employees work and live.”

L3Harris has 14 locations throughout Utah, with over 3,000 employees. L3Harris has remained one of the state’s 20 largest employers, and the company is committed to being a good corporate citizen by giving back and supporting higher-education initiatives.

Non-profit organizations seeking volunteer assistance can visit the company’s website listed below.

About L3Harris Technologies
L3Harris Technologies is an agile global aerospace and defense technology innovator, delivering end-to-end solutions that meet customers’ mission-critical needs. The company provides advanced defense and commercial technologies across air, land, sea, space and cyber domains. L3Harris has approximately $18 billion in annual revenue and 48,000 employees, with customers in more than 100 countries. L3Harris.com.