Scripps family fund donation to support Scripps employees, communities during pandemic

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May 21, 2020, 16:01 ET

CINCINNATI, May 21, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Employees of The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP) and communities where it does business in more than 40 markets across the country will benefit from a generous gift from the Scripps Family Impact Fund.

The fund is giving $1.6 million to three initiatives, including two related to the company and its foundation:

Scripps COVID-19 Employee Relief Fund – The Scripps family will contribute to the fund established by the Scripps Howard Foundation in March to help employees of The E.W. Scripps Company who have been adversely affected by the economic crisis caused by the pandemic. This gift allows the Foundation to provide up to $2,000 to an employee with urgent financial need – doubling the original $1,000 per employee.
Local food pantry support – Funds will be given to food pantries in the markets where Scripps operates TV stations and national brands Newsy, Stitcher, the Katz networks and the Scripps Washington Bureau. Each market will receive $12,000 to designate to a local organization focused on food insecurity, including food banks, Meals on Wheels programs and soup kitchens. The TV stations and brands will share content that highlights the need and encourages additional giving to that cause from their audiences.

Scripps Research Institute in San Diego, California, also will receive funds this year for research related to treatments for COVID-19. The Scripps Family Impact Fund is a private philanthropic entity launched in 2018 by descendants of company founder Edward W. Scripps, and his youngest son, Robert Paine Scripps.

"During these challenging times, my family members and I are proud to support Scripps employees and those in need in Scripps' markets through this gift to the Scripps Howard Foundation," said Wes Scripps, board co-chair of the Scripps Family Impact Fund. "We hope our gift can help provide some comfort and security to those who could use extra support."

"The Scripps Howard Foundation deeply appreciates the generosity of the Scripps family," said Liz Carter, president and CEO of the Scripps Howard Foundation. "With this gift, the Foundation will be able to greatly increase its support for Scripps employees in need while also working hand-in-hand with Scripps stations and national brands to combat food insecurity that is growing in our communities across the country."

About the Scripps Howard Foundation
The Scripps Howard Foundation supports philanthropic causes important to The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP) and the communities it serves, with a special emphasis on excellence in journalism. At the crossroads of the classroom and the newsroom, the Foundation is a leader in supporting journalism education, scholarships, internships, minority recruitment and development, literacy and First Amendment causes. The Scripps Howard Awards stand as one of the industry's top honors for outstanding journalism. The Foundation improves lives and helps build thriving communities. It partners with Scripps brands to create awareness of local issues and supports impactful organizations to drive solutions.

About Scripps
The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP) advances understanding of the world through journalism. As the nation's fourth-largest independent TV station owner, Scripps operates 60 television stations in 42 markets. Scripps empowers the next generation of news consumers with its multiplatform news network Newsy and reaches growing audiences through broadcast networks including Bounce and Court TV. Shaping the future of storytelling through digital audio, Scripps owns top podcast company Stitcher and Triton, the global leader in technology and measurement services. Scripps runs an award-winning investigative reporting newsroom in Washington, D.C., and is the longtime steward of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Founded in 1878, Scripps has held for decades to the motto, "Give light and the people will find their own way."

About the Scripps Family Impact Fund
The Scripps Family Impact Fund was created as a partnership between the 4^th and 5^th generations of the Scripps family, with hopes that it will become a fixture for generations to come. The board is composed entirely of nine members of the family's fifth generation. The Fund seeks to build upon the family's enduring charitable legacy by helping worthy nonprofits make an even bigger difference, and it has a mission of unleashing the family's collective power to help others by combining the family's passions and pocketbooks with the collaborative energy that it has harnessed since 1878 to make communities stronger.

SOURCE The E.W. Scripps Company