Penn National Gaming launches Diversity Scholarship Program for children of team members

(PRESS RELEASE) -- Penn National Gaming, Inc. announced today that it has launched a new Diversity Scholarship Program for the children of its team members, which reflects the Company’s commitment to equity in post-secondary education opportunities for students. Penn National is partnering with The Public Education Foundation to administer the Diversity Scholarship Program and has committed $1 million annually to fund the program.

“Last year, amidst one of the most challenging times in our nation’s history and as the world grappled with an outpouring of racial and social anguish, we formed a new Penn Diversity Committee to help put our Company’s longstanding support of diversity and inclusion into action,” said Jay Snowden, President and CEO of Penn National. “The Diversity Committee, which reports directly to me, is comprised of a broad range of team members, including those from underrepresented communities from around the country and at varying levels in our organization. It will ensure our Company has mechanisms in place to listen to team members about important ongoing social justice issues, and to help implement new initiatives such as this Diversity Scholarship Program. Other examples include specific actions to increase our recruitment and support at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and universities with diverse populations, as well as increasing our support to organizations in our communities that promote equality, justice and diversity.”

The Diversity Scholarship Program includes two-year and four-year scholarship awards, ranging from $2,500 to $10,000 annually. Dependent children of any team members who are director-level or below with a minimum of one-year of tenure at the Company are eligible to apply. A competitive selection process will be administered by PEF and scholarship awards will be decided by PEF’s Scholarship Selection Committee, comprised solely of individuals who are entirely independent of Penn National. Financial need carries a 50% weight in choosing awardees, while academic and extra-curricular achievements comprise the remainder of the selection criteria. Applications will be accepted through April 24, 2021 and scholarships are scheduled to be awarded in late May 2021.

“In this time of economic uncertainty, more families are struggling with the costs of students attending college. We appreciate that Penn National Gaming has stepped up to invest in post-secondary education so that more students in need can realize their dreams,” said Judi Steele, Founder and CEO of The Public Education Foundation.