The American Heart Association announced on March 26, 2026, the awarding of 32 Nation of Lifesaver financial grants to American Heart Association Heart Clubs at 33 high schools and colleges in 20 states and the District of Columbia. These grants aim to increase CPR training and improve cardiac emergency preparedness on campuses, addressing the statistic that 9 out of 10 people who experience cardiac arrest outside a hospital die, often because they do not receive immediate CPR.
The grants support student-led Heart Clubs, which empower members to lead activities promoting physical and mental well-being. Since the 2024-2025 school year, over 250 such clubs have been established nationwide. Recipient colleges include the University of Rhode Island, Howard University, Cornell University, and the University of Michigan, among others. High school recipients include Locust Valley High School in New York and Belen Jesuit Preparatory School in Florida.
“When my son’s heart stopped, his coaches knew exactly what to do and jumped into action. But not everyone is that lucky,” said Pia Scarfo Allocca, whose son Francesco experienced sudden cardiac arrest at Locust Valley High School in November 2025. “Someone started compressions. Someone grabbed the AED. My son is alive because his school was prepared.”
“Preparation should be the norm, not the exception,” said Dr. Stacey E. Rosen, volunteer president of the American Heart Association and senior vice president at Northwell Health. “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, complete with manikins and training materials, and $500 to facilitate CPR training. High school grants provide funding to develop a Cardiac Emergency Response Plan, offer card-credentialed CPR First Aid AED training, raise awareness with CPR kits, and advocate for safer school policies.
The American Heart Association is the worldwide leader in resuscitation science and publishes the official CPR guidelines, with the latest guidelines released in October 2025 in its journal Circulation. The Nation of Lifesavers initiative aims to turn bystanders into lifesavers, with a long-term goal that anyone, anywhere is prepared to perform CPR. Walgreens is a national sponsor of the initiative.
To learn more, visit heart.org/nation or take 90 seconds to learn Hands-Only CPR.
