The DPR Foundation, the charitable arm of DPR Construction, one of the nation’s top technical builders focused on highly complex and sustainable projects, today announced its continued commitment to supporting youth organizations in need by awarding $590,000 in grants to 12 organizations in cities across the United States. The 2011-2012 grant money will be distributed across nine returning grantees and three new organizations featuring youth programs targeting disadvantaged kids from grade school to high school.

New DPR Foundation grantee organizations for 2011-2012 include: ICAN – Improving Chandler Area Neighborhoods (Chandler, Ariz.), The Milagro Center (Delray Beach, Fla.) and John Avery Boys & Girls Club of Durham (Durham, N.C.). All nine remaining organizations are returning grantees including: The Boys & Girls Club of Metro Atlanta (Atlanta, Ga.), Maryland Multi-cultural Youth Center (Riverdale, Md.), New Hope For Kids (Orlando, Fla.), Future for Kids (Phoenix, Ariz.), Peninsula Bridge (Palo Alto, Calif.), Roberts Family Development Center (Sacramento, Calif.), StandUp for Kids (San Diego), Turning Wheels for Kids (San Jose, Calif.) and Seven Tepees Youth Center (San Francisco).

The DPR Foundation, established by DPR Construction in 2008, has awarded nearly $1.5 million to 17 different organizations over the past four years and is committed to helping disadvantaged children within each of the company’s local communities by building lasting relationships with youth-focused organizations. The DPR Foundation is a company-wide outreach to help children who fall short of their potential due to socio-economic challenges.

“One of the founding objectives of DPR Construction was to become an integral part of the communities in which we work and to become indispensable in furthering various community needs,” said Peter Nosler, co-founder of DPR Construction and president of the DPR Foundation board. “By supporting youth organizations we’re enriching the lives of some of our most vulnerable citizens which will help build stronger communities for the future.”

Each DPR region has a DPR Foundation representative who works with a small group to identify local candidate organizations. Every year, each region submits one or more organizations they would like the foundation to support and the board works with local teams to make the final selection for Foundation grant awards.

In addition to financial assistance in the form of grants, the DPR Foundation selects organizations that also have a great need for volunteer help. The Foundation seeks organizations with after-school programs, tutoring, field trips and summer camps so DPR employees can get involved in the community effort. The Foundation also measures success of these program and volunteer efforts to ensure the program remains on mission and continues to achieve results.

About DPR Construction

DPR Construction, currently ranked No. 22 on FORTUNE’S “100 Best Companies to Work For” list, is a forward-thinking national general contractor and construction manager specializing in technically complex and sustainable projects for the advanced technology, life sciences, healthcare, higher education and corporate office markets. Founded in 1990, DPR is a privately held, employee-owned company that has grown to a multi-billion-dollar national organization, making it one of the largest general contractors in the country and a great story of entrepreneurial success.

The DPR Foundation (http://www.dprfoundation.org) is a 501 (c)(3) organization focused on helping socio-economically disadvantaged children, grades K-12, within the communities in which DPR has established operations. In four years, the DPR Foundation has awarded a total of nearly $1.5 million to 17 different organizations across the country.