Partnership to Focus on STEM Education Programs for At-Risk Students; Facility Name to Transition to Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium
December 15, 2022
The Zoological Society of Pittsburgh and PPG jointly announced that PPG and the PPG Foundation will transition their support for the Zoo to refocus on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education programming and will relinquish their naming rights to
the Aquarium at the Pittsburgh Zoo. Effective January 1, 2023, the Zoo will be renamed the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium.
Beginning in 2023, PPG and the PPG Foundation will fund major initiatives in Zoo educational programming. The new teen-focused STEM education funding will offer local at-risk middle school students learning opportunities at their schools and in the Zoo’s teen learning lab, as well as offering on-grounds animal encounters, career shadowing experiences, and team project opportunities.
“Since investing in the naming rights sponsorship in 2002, PPG’s business has evolved and its perspective on where the PPG Foundation can provide the strongest value as a community partner has continued to transform,” said Malesia Dunn, Executive Director of PPG Foundation and Corporate Global Social Responsibility. “We look forward to continuing our relationship with the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium through STEM educational programming.”
“We are excited to be able to continue and evolve our PPG relationship, which has lasted over 20 years,” said Dr. Jeremy Goodman, President and CEO of the Zoo. “Education is at the core of both organizations, so continuing to partner with PPG with a new focus on inclusive and engaging STEM programing is a positive direction for us and the entire community.”
The current PPG Aquarium naming rights were agreed upon due to a 10-year partnership on April 15th, 2002, which included the largest donation in the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium’s history at the time. The naming rights were extended for a further ten years in August 2011. The extension expired in April 2022, and both organizations agreed to retain the PPG name through the end of 2022.
This is not the first name change centered around the Zoo facility. Originally named the Highland Park Zoo, it transitioned to the preeminent Pittsburgh Zoo before the addition of the first public aquarium in Pennsylvania in 1967 introduced the AquaZoo to the park’s offerings. When the Aquarium was renovated in 2000, the Zoo was briefly named the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium before adopting the PPG partnership in 2002.
PPG’s global community engagement efforts and the PPG Foundation aim to bring color and brightness to PPG communities around the world. PPG and the PPG Foundation invested $13.3 million in 2021, supporting hundreds of organizations across more than 40 countries. By investing in educational opportunities, PPG and the PPG Foundation help grow today’s skilled workforce and develop tomorrow’s innovators in fields related to coatings and manufacturing. Plus, we empower PPG employees to multiply their impact for causes that are important to them by supporting their volunteer efforts and charitable giving. Learn more at communities.ppg.com