$1 million for 100 partners: COLORFUL COMMUNITIES program celebration grants are underway

In year 10 of the COLORFUL COMMUNITIES® program, we are celebrating the life-changing impacts that are possible when fresh color and paint hold purpose and transform the way people think and feel about their surroundings. To build on the impacts of the past 10 years, PPG and the PPG Foundation are reinvesting in our past and current Colorful Communities project partners and expanding the reach of our projects. 

PPG and the PPG Foundation are well on the way to giving a total of $1 million in celebration grant funding to 100 past and current Colorful Communities partners around the world. 

“The Colorful Communities program has been successful in building relationships in our communities, demonstrating PPG's commitment to protecting and beautifying places where we live,” said Malesia Dunn, executive director, PPG Foundation and corporate global social responsibility. “The celebration grants make way to build on this work and thank our community partners for being part of our journey.” 

Celebration Grants in EMEA 

To select the recipients of celebration grants across EMEA, PPG employees in the region voted on past inspirational partnerships in May 2025. The results? From the U.K. to Poland, fifteen project partners in EMEA were selected, each receiving a grant of $10,000. U.K., Poland, France, Italy and Germany each selected two recipients from past projects, and the other countries selected five grant recipients. Many of the recipients will use the funding to further enhance their spaces for local community members they serve. 

• Five partners in Spain were voted as grant recipients thanks to an expectational response from Spanish employees. One of the recipients was a project from 2022 where PPG employee volunteers revitalized Colegio de Educación Infantil y Primaria Villar Palasí, transforming the playground and schoolyard, and creating a mural that celebrates unity, fairness and the uniqueness of every student. The organization plans to put the celebration grant to use by continuing to enhance its spaces into a more vibrant and welcoming environment for the children. 
• Of the two locations selected in Germany, Gemeinschaftsschule Weilimdorf in Stuttgart received a celebration grant after it was transformed in 2024 by over 150 volunteers who redesigned interior and exterior areas, upcycled wardrobes into seating areas, and painted three new murals. 
• Our longstanding partner, AFM-Téléthon, is one of two celebration grant partners in France. Since 2018, more than 1,000 PPG employees and partners have refreshed over 25 hospital departments and AFM-Téléthon facilities in 16 cities, impacting 40,000 lives. The organization plans to put the grant toward research on muscular dystrophy and the fight against neuromuscular diseases. 

Comune di Quattordio, a recipient partner in Italy, plans to use the grant for cultural and educational purposes. Quattordio mayor, Anna Margherita Venezia, said, “We are deeply grateful for this valuable award. It is an important recognition of our work and motivates us to continue our commitment in the field of culture. We are proud of our collaboration with you, which over the years has allowed us to achieve excellent results.” 

 Past Partners in the U.S.  

From local Boys & Girls Clubs’ facilities to a range of schools and community organizations, 70 celebration grants will be gifted around the U.S. in 2025. 

A few of our grant recipients include: 

• Mars Home for Youth (MHY) Family Services, outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Three projects have been completed at this location, including one in 2022 when more than 75 PPG global finance employee volunteers set out to infuse spaces with fresh paint and colors. The volunteers aimed to create vibrant and positive spaces where young people feel supported, comfortable and encouraged. 
• MC2 STEM High School in Cleveland, Ohio. Through our partnership with the Great Lakes Science Center, PPG employee volunteers transformed spaces around MC2 STEM High School in 2021 so students could explore, create and expand their minds in an innovative learning environment. 
• Walnut Grove Elementary School in Huntsville, Alabama. Our volunteers twice partnered with the school home, most recently for a 2022 New Paint for a New Start project to paint six welcoming classrooms. 
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. We have partnered with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County on several occasions, most recently as we kicked off our 10-year celebration of the Colorful Communities program in January 2025. At the Broward County William E. Slaughter Club and S. Robert Levine Campus, more than 100 of PPG’s top global leaders spent a portion of their annual global leadership meeting updating the club’s computer room, recording studio, gymnasium and teen center outdoor areas with colors that aim to enhance learning and engagement.  

What’s next around the world? 

Stay tuned later this year for celebration grant updates from Asia Pacific and Latin America and more news on how our partners around the world are putting the celebration grants to work for our communities. 

Learn more about the10-year celebration of the Colorful Communities program.