Company Website: http://aps.com
PHOENIX -- (Business Wire)

The APS Foundation has partnered with the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee in its efforts to improve the Super Bowl host city and surrounding communities through the distribution of Super Bowl Legacy Grants.

The Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee, in partnership with the National Football League (NFL) Foundation, distributed more than $2 million to Arizona nonprofits.

The APS Foundation provided $200,000, which will be split evenly between the Challenger Space Center and the Rodel Charitable Trust for the important work they do in the local community.

“Thanks to the support of the NFL and organizations like the APS Foundation, we are able to make a significant positive impact on the work being done by so many outstanding nonprofits in our state,” said Jay Parry, president and CEO of the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee.

Challenger Space Center

The Challenger Space Center space simulator will receive a $100,000 grant that will fund new technology and mission scenario upgrades to provide an immersive, applied-science experience for students. In the space mission simulator, students get to role play as astronauts, scientists and engineers while applying their Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) knowledge, as well as skills in realistic space scenarios. Students work in a team-based environment, relying on each other to accomplish tasks for a successful mission.

This grant will provide a technology overhaul that will enable the addition of two new missions to the Arizona education community: Encounter Earth: Our Changing Planet and Return to the Moon: Moonbase Alpha. Challenger’s two-year simulator modernization project will not only regenerate the simulator’s physical structure, but will use real and current NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research tools and data to align with current studies and projects. It is estimated the improvements will increase the student simulator capacity by 40 percent, increasing the number of Arizona students attending Challenger missions by 6,500 annually.

Rodel Charitable Trust

The $100,000 grant to the Rodel Charitable Trust will fund the transition from a static printed format of the MATH 20/20 curriculum to an interactive electronic format. These materials, which will be introduced throughout Arizona to kindergarteners through sixth-graders, allow students to demonstrate mastery of the state curriculum. More importantly, these materials allow trained teachers to diagnose why students are not mastering the curriculum. Rodel’s MATH 20/20 initiative faces the challenges of providing sustainable materials in a format that will provide a school district with the flexibility to structure the order in which lessons are taught and learned.

Providing electronic materials will allow districts to tailor MATH 20/20 to their individual instructional model. By giving trained teachers this control, they will be better able to diagnose student errors and fine-tune instruction to meet individual student needs. The differentiation of instruction will help to realize the vision of improving the teaching and learning of mathematics.

“Like all of our grant recipients, the two organizations receiving Super Bowl Legacy Grants are dedicated to supporting our focus on STEM education,” said Tina Marie Tentori, Executive Director of the APS Foundation. “The impact of these grants will resonate long after the Super Bowl is over.”

Applications and more information on grant eligibility can be found at aps.com/corporategiving by clicking on the Foundation link.

About APS Foundation

The APS Foundation is committed to making a deep impact in Arizona communities and does so through supporting statewide nonprofits that advance knowledge in the field of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education. The Foundation supports a wide range of educational initiatives that target both students and teachers in order to keep the next generation of Arizona’s workforce strong and competitive.

Privately endowed by Pinnacle West Capital Corp. (NYSE:PNW) in 1981 as an independent 501(c) (3) organization, the APS Foundation distributes an average of $1.5 – $2.5 million per year through a bi-annual grant process. Since its inception, it has invested more than $30 million in Arizona nonprofits. For more information, please visit aps.com/corporategiving and click on the Foundation link.

About the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee

The Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee is a private, non-profit Arizona corporation responsible for driving the state’s efforts for Super Bowl XLIX. The mandate of the Host Committee is to galvanize local stakeholders in a united approach to hosting the largest single-day sporting event by maximizing positive media exposure, fueling the economic engine of Arizona and leaving a lasting legacy long after the Big Game. The Host Committee serves as liaison between the NFL and all regional efforts, culminated with the game on February 1, 2015, at the University of Phoenix Stadium, home to the Arizona Cardinals.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20150206005637/en/

Contacts:

for APS Foundation
Megan Rose, 602-690-0801
mrose@gcjpr.com
aps.com/newsroom

Source: The APS Foundation