Casey’s has distributed more than $1.3 million in Cash for Classrooms grants to 100 K-12 public and nonprofit private schools across its 17-state footprint.
The annual program provides funding for physical improvements, classroom materials, teacher support and community engagement initiatives.
The 2026 grant cycle was funded by nearly $1 million in guest donations, $240,000 from Coca-Cola and $100,000 from Casey’s corporate contributions. Since the program’s inception in 2020, the retailer has awarded 500 grants totaling more than $6.2 million to schools in its service areas.
“Strong schools help build strong communities, and that’s core to who we are at Casey’s,” said Katie Petru, director of PR, communications and community at Casey’s.
“Our purpose is to make life better for our communities and guests every day, and Cash for Classrooms allows us to do that by directly supporting teachers and students where Casey’s calls home. We’re grateful to our generous guests, team members and partners who share our passion for this program and help increase the impact.”
The 100 selected schools received individual grants of up to $50,000. Major projects funded this year include a $50,000 sensory-friendly playground for the West Liberty Community School District in Iowa and a $35,000 accessibility awning for Marshall County High School in Kentucky. Smaller grants were also issued for art classroom furniture and fitness programs in Illinois and Arkansas.
The program utilizes in-store “round up” campaigns powered by Round It Up America to collect small-change donations from customers. These funds are pooled to support local educational infrastructure and resource needs that may fall outside of standard district budgets.
“Strong schools help build strong communities, and that’s core to who we are at Casey’s,” Petru explained. “Our purpose is to make life better for our communities and guests every day, and Cash for Classrooms allows us to do that by directly supporting teachers and students where Casey’s calls home.”
Ankeny, Iowa-based Casey’s is the third-largest c-store retailer and the fifth-largest pizza chain in the U.S., operating about 2,900 stores. The company was recently added to the S&P 500 index.
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