• $200,000 will go to the Florida College System, with another $150,000 going to the Consortium of Florida Education Foundations
• $100,000 each is being donated to United Way of Florida and Florida Gulf Coast University
• Finally, $50,000 is being committed to Take Stock in Students, with an additional $25,000 going to the University of Central Florida

• Helios Education Foundation says the funds will support the needs of thousands of students and educators

The Helios Education Foundation announced it is donating $625,000 to support ongoing relief and recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.

The donation includes $525,000 for education-related organizations that work directly with students and children, along with an additional $100,000 donation to United Way Florida to support the United 4 Florida Disaster Recovery Fund.

“This intense storm has forever impacted the lives of countless families across the state,” said Vince Roig, Helios Education Foundation Founding Chairman. “So many communities are experiencing unbelievable challenges. But, at the same time, we’ve seen an overwhelming outpouring of support. Helios was founded on community-first values, and we are honored to be in a position to offer targeted support to our education partners and others across the state and hope to encourage others to do the same.”

The leadership team at Helios says they worked to identify organizations and institutions that were in a position to respond immediately to the shifting needs of Floridians — particularly students, educators, and faculty members. The emergency grant funding will go toward faculty and students’ long- and short-term needs, including housing, meals, transportation, replacement of materials damaged in classrooms, counseling, and college attainment resources.

“The entire Helios team is immensely grateful to every teacher, faculty member, and education leader who has worked tirelessly to provide comfort and support in the aftermath of such a tragic disaster, and we look forward to continuing to fund opportunities to partner and boost student success across the state,” said Roig.