“At Southwest Airlines, we build community wherever we are, whether at our gates, in our planes, or out in the communities we serve,” said Linda Rutherford, Southwest Airlines Vice President and Chief Communications Officer. “That is the inspiration behind Southwest Airlines’ Heart of the Community program. By investing in authentic relationships and creating spaces and opportunities that bring People together, we can build connections and strengthen communities. We’re excited to see the positive impact each of these spaces will have as a result of these grants.”
Each 2017 Southwest Airlines Heart of the Community grant recipient will be eligible to receive up to $150,000 in total project funding through the Southwest Airlines Foundation, a corporate advised fund of Silicon Valley Community Foundation. The 2017 grant recipients also will receive technical assistance from Project for Public Spaces.
“Our goal in working with the 2017 Southwest Airlines Heart of the Community grant recipients is to help them create great public spaces where everyone in the community feels welcome,” said Fred Kent, Founder and President of Project for Public Spaces. “When people in communities come together in this effort, results are tangible and immediate, and the placemaking process itself helps to strengthen the sense of belonging, sociability, and inclusion that great places naturally generate.”
Since 2013, the airline has invested more than $6.4M in building connections and has awarded 20 grants through the Southwest Airlines Heart of the Community program. This year’s grant recipients were chosen from a competitive pool of 75 applicants representing 43 cities nationwide. Learn more.
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From its first flights on June 18, 1971, Southwest Airlines launched an era of unprecedented affordability in air travel described by the U.S. Department of Transportation as “The Southwest Effect,” a lowering of fares and increase in passenger traffic whenever the carrier enters new markets. With 44 consecutive years of profitability, Southwest is one of the most honored airlines in the world, known for a triple bottom line approach that contributes to the carrier’s performance and productivity, the importance of its People and the communities they serve, and an overall commitment to efficiency and the planet. The 2016 Southwest Airlines One Report™ can be found at SouthwestOneReport.com.
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SOURCE Southwest Airlines Co.
