Hedge fund manager Kenneth C. Griffin donated $5 million to fund Miami Connected, which will provide free internet access and improve digital literacy for more than 100,000 students and their families in Miami-Dade County, Fla.
Mr. Griffin, founder, CEO and co-CIO of Chicago-based Citadel LLC, is the lead funder for Miami Connected, a public-private partnership that "represents a unified effort to make Miami-Dade the most technologically inclusive county in the nation," said The Miami Foundation, in a news release.
The $350 million foundation and Achieve Miami, a non-profit that strives to increase educational equality in the county, are the partners running the program.
The program was launched in March, initially providing 22,000 Miami-Dade County public school students with free internet access, the news release said.
The Miami Connected program also will seek to create jobs by investing "in career pathways that increase diversity and inclusivity in the technology sector," the release said.
In addition to Mr. Griffin's largesse, donations from other sources now total $11 million.
"Connectivity is a lifeline to opportunity. It improves outcomes and gives students and their families critical resources they need to succeed," Mr. Griffin said in the release. "It is inspiring to see the Miami community come together to address this important issue."
In 2020, Mr. Griffin contributed $7.5 million to a similar program — Chicago Connected — that provides free internet access to Chicago public school students.
Citadel manages $34 billion in multistrategy hedge funds.
