Fred Rogers Productions, PNC Foundation Extend Partnership for Alma's Way, Be My Neighbor Day and More

Associated Press

27-06-2025

Originally published by Fred Rogers Productions
PITTSBURGH, June 27, 2025 /3BL/ - Fred Rogers Productions has extended its partnership with the PNC Foundation. Through PNC Grow Up Great®, the PNC Foundation has awarded a $1.4 million grant to support Alma's Way, the hit series on PBS KIDS. The grant will also support community events inspired by the series and ongoing Fred Rogers Productions initiatives such as Be My Neighbor Day. PNC Grow Up Great® is a multi-year, bilingual early childhood education initiative that helps children from birth through age 5 develop a love of learning that lasts a lifetime, which aligns with the Fred Rogers Productions mission and its series' learning goals. PNC's support of Fred Rogers Productions' award-winning programming and events are aimed at helping to meet the needs of children and families where they are, a mission shared by both companies.
'We are so pleased to continue our partnership with the PNC Foundation, a valued supporter of educational and arts programs,' said Paul Siefken, president and CEO, Fred Rogers Productions. 'Their sponsorship of our programming and outreach initiatives enables us to continue providing valuable content and hands-on experiences for children and families in their neighborhoods nationwide.'
The grant supports a range of onscreen content and outreach programs with educational and pro-social themes, including 49 Be My Neighbor Day events, the successful, longstanding community-based initiative inspired by Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, plus four Alma's Way community events, and more.
'Fred Rogers Productions has been a terrific collaborator from the earliest days of PNC Grow Up Great, creating quality programming that encourages young children to discover, learn and grow,' said Sally McCrady, chair and president of the PNC Foundation. 'Be My Neighbor Days is one of my favorite initiatives across PNC's markets, helping families think about how they can be great neighbors and the importance of keeping kindness in mind. We're excited to see the Alma's Way Explore Your City events take shape.'
The PNC Foundation will be recognized on broadcast and across digital for its generous contribution to make new Alma's Way episodes possible.
Alma's Way focuses on core messages and learning goals to encourage children as they develop problem-solving, resilience, empathy, and other life skills. The series follows 6- year-old Alma Rivera, a proud, confident Puerto Rican girl who lives in the Bronx with her family among a diverse group of close-knit friends and community members. In every episode, Alma models self-awareness, responsible decision-making and empathy, while encouraging kids to develop critical thinking skills and value their own ideas and questions. The series, which premiered in 2021, is created by Sonia Manzano ('Maria' on Sesame Street) and produced by Fred Rogers Productions in association with Pipeline Studios (Elinor Wonders Why). Ellen Doherty and Manzano are executive producers. Jorge Aguirre (Goldie & Bear) is head writer and co-executive producer. Additional co-executive producers are Luis Lopez and Juan Lopez. Supervising Producer for Fred Rogers Productions is Olubunmi Mia Olufemi.
Be My Neighbor Day, the signature community outreach initiative for Mister Rogers' Neighborhood spinoff Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, has attracted several hundred thousand in-person attendees nationwide since the program started in 2014. There have been more than 126,000 resources shared with participants, and attendees have helped create and assemble over 90,000 'giveback' items, such as health and first aid kits and thank you cards, for their communities. More than 30,000 items, such as sweaters and mittens, have also been collected for donation to the participating locales.
About the PNC Foundation
The PNC Foundation, which receives its principal funding from The PNC Financial Services Group Inc.(NYSE:PNC) actively supports organizations that provide services for the benefit of communities in which it has a significant presence. The Foundation focuses its philanthropic mission on early childhood education and community and economic development, which includes the arts and culture. Through PNC Grow Up Great®, its signature cause that began in 2004, PNC has created a bilingual $500 million, multi-year initiative to help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life. For more information, visit http://www.pncgrowupgreat.com.
About Fred Rogers Productions
Fred Rogers Productions was founded by Fred Rogers in 1971 as the non-profit producer of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood for PBS. In the years that followed, it created hundreds of episodes of this much-loved program and extended Fred's values and approach to other efforts in promoting children's social, emotional, and behavioral health while supporting parents, caregivers, teachers, and other professionals in their work with children. Fred Rogers Productions continues to build on Fred's legacy in innovative ways through a wide variety of media and engages new generations of children and families with his timeless wisdom. The company's highly rated children's series, including Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, Peg + Cat, Odd Squad, and Through the Woods, have earned 31 Emmy® Awards among other important honors. The company's latest series are Donkey Hodie, the innovative puppet series inspired by characters from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, and Alma's Way, an animated series created by Sonia Manzano. Fred Rogers Productions strives to inspire a lifelong enthusiasm for learning through its series as well as efforts beyond broadcast including games and interactive offerings, community engagement activities, and much more. For more information, visit www.fredrogers.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
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Press contacts:
Grand Communications (for Fred Rogers Productions) Alison Grand 212-584-1133; [email protected]
Laura Liebeck 845-440-7974; [email protected]
Angie Carducci (for PNC) 412-762-9186; [email protected]