The American Heart Association has awarded 32 Nation of Lifesaver financial grants to Heart Clubs at 33 high schools and colleges across 20 states and the District of Columbia. The grants are designed to make campuses safer by providing resources for CPR training and cardiac emergency preparedness, as part of the Association's goal to double survival rates from cardiac arrest by 2030.
According to the American Heart Association, 9 out of 10 people who experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital die, often because they do not receive immediate CPR. The grants will support student-led Heart Clubs in teaching CPR and implementing emergency response plans. More than 250 Heart Clubs have been established since the 2024-2025 school year.
Recipient colleges include University of Rhode Island, Washington and Lee University, Howard University, Villanova University, Cornell University, Case Western Reserve University, University of Michigan, Purdue University, Fisk University, Spelman College, Tuskegee University, Grambling State University, University of Texas at Austin, California State University Fresno, and Molloy University.
High school recipients include Hampshire Regional High School, Clara Barton High School for Health Professions, Locust Valley High School, The Ursuline School, Bayside High School, George Washington High School, Belen Jesuit Preparatory School, Samuel Wolfson School for Advanced Studies, Alliance Academy for Innovation, Pope Saint John Paul II Preparatory School, Pflugerville High School, TCC SE Mansfield ISD Early College High School at Timberview, Davis Senior High School, Mt. Carmel High School, Newark Memorial High School, Ruben S. Ayala High School, Vanden High School, and West Career and Technical Academy.
Pia Scarfo Allocca, mother of Francesco Allocca, who experienced sudden cardiac arrest at Locust Valley High School basketball tryouts in November 2025, emphasized the importance of preparedness. "When my son's heart stopped, his coaches knew exactly what to do... My son is alive because his school was prepared," she said.
Dr. Stacey E. Rosen, volunteer president of the American Heart Association, stated, "These Heart Club grants will support the student volunteers and teacher advocates across this country working to save lives through CPR training and education."
For colleges, the grants include funding for two CPR in Schools Kits and $500 to facilitate CPR training. For high schools, grants fund development of a Cardiac Emergency Response Plan, card-credentialed CPR First Aid AED training, and advocacy for safer school policies.
The American Heart Association is the worldwide leader in resuscitation science, and its latest CPR guidelines were published in Circulation. The Nation of Lifesavers initiative aims to turn bystanders into lifesavers. Learn more at heart.org/nation.
