As the new school year kicks off across the country, so too does the drive to expand availability of resources to schools in need. Once again, The Krystal Company is going "back to school" with its innovative forward-thinking grant program administered through The Krystal Foundation. The grant provides much-needed funding for educational "enrichment" programs such as STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) education, music & the performing arts, culinary instruction and various sports activities.

The grant program, which provided nearly $20,000 in grants and donations in the in the last quarter of last year is now accepting applications for this school year's first application window, which runs from September 1^st through October 1^st.

"The Krystal Foundation is our chance to make a direct positive impact on the communities we serve," said Jason Abelkop, Chief Marketing Officer for Krystal and President of The Krystal Foundation. "We have an 85-year history of being part of our neighborhoods, and being good neighbors. Supporting local educational enrichment programs just makes sense. We're hoping to grow the number of grantees we can help this year with the funding important extracurricular and enrichment programs deserve."

During its first grant window of the 2016-2017 school year, The Krystal Foundation provided a total of $18,540 to six applicant schools, who used the funds for leadership clubs, hands-on tools for students to learn computer coding, safer football helmets, virtual reality classroom tools, a Boys Rocketry afterschool club, a Girls Coding afterschool club and a new science lab. Funding was provided through a mix of grants and donations and ranged between $2,500 and $3,500 per school.

Those wishing to apply for a grant may do so by visiting www.thekrystalfoundation.com. The application window will open on September 1^st. Teachers, principals, school faculty, PTO/PTA groups, and other K-12 school-affiliated organizations are all eligible to apply. Grant winners will be announced by November 15, 2017.

"There's no one that knows better what our kids and students need than the people who work with our schools day in and day out," Abelkop added. "The Krystal Foundation is Krystal's way of saying 'thank you for all you do' by lending a helping hand towards a lot of brighter futures."