The American Heart Association has launched a new financial grant program to equip 40 high school and college Heart Clubs across the country with CPR training and resources. Announced on World Restart a Heart Day, this initiative aims to make campuses safer by ensuring more students and educators learn lifesaving skills and join the Association's Nation of Lifesavers movement, which targets doubling survival rates from cardiac arrest by 2030.
Nayan Sapers, American Heart Association Volunteer National Youth Leadership Council member and founder of CrimsonEMS Ambassador CPR Program at Harvard College, emphasized the program's importance. "We all know what to do if there's a fire at school. Why should cardiac arrest be any different?" Sapers said. "More than 350,000 cardiac arrests happen outside the hospital each year. We all deserve someone nearby who is prepared and willing to help."
American Heart Association Heart Clubs are student-led organizations on high school and college campuses that empower members to lead activities supporting physical and mental well-being while making meaningful community impacts. Started in the 2024-2025 school year, there are now more than 250 of these student-led groups across the U.S.
The grant program includes two distinct components. Twenty college grants provide funding for two CPR in Schools Kits, complete with manikins, AED simulators and training materials, plus $500 to facilitate CPR training on campus. These grants give Heart Club leaders everything needed to promote the lifesaving skill of CPR to students and faculty. Meanwhile, twenty high school grants provide up to $4,500 per school to develop Cardiac Emergency Response Plans, provide card-credentialed CPR First Aid AED training for students and faculty, raise awareness with CPR in Schools Kits, and advocate for public policies that make schools safer.
All registered Heart Clubs with faculty advisors are encouraged to apply, with no prior CPR credentialing required. Recipients will receive full training and guidance from the American Heart Association. Applications are due November 20, with winners announced December 8.
The American Heart Association is the worldwide leader in resuscitation science, education and training, and publishes the official scientific guidelines for CPR. Newly updated CPR clinical guidelines will be released on October 22. According to American Heart Association data, 9 out of every 10 people who experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital die, in part because they do not receive immediate CPR more than half of the time. CPR, especially if performed immediately, can double or triple a person's chance of survival.
"We know Hands-Only CPR is a simple two-step skill that could save someone's life in an emergency, but not everyone gets the help they need when they need it," said Stacey E. Rosen, M.D., FAHA, volunteer president of the American Heart Association. "Learning CPR should be a part of our culture, like getting your driver's license, or going to prom. These grants will help us transform the way we think about how to respond in an emergency and help us save more lives."
The Association's Nation of Lifesavers initiative is committed to turning a nation of bystanders into lifesavers. The long-term goal ensures that in the face of a cardiac emergency, anyone, anywhere, is prepared and empowered to perform CPR and become a vital link in the chain of survival. Join the Nation of Lifesavers by learning CPR. Learn more about Heart Clubs and available grant opportunities here.
