Morgan Stanley Expands Partnership with KaBOOM! Through a New Grant, Creating Additional Innovative Play Spaces for Children ...

Partnership with Over 800 Employee Volunteers Continues to Provide Thousands of Children with Safe Play Spaces, Strengthening Their Healthy Start to Life

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) today announced a new grant to KaBOOM!, a national non-profit dedicated to ensuring that all kids get a childhood filled with the balanced and active play needed to thrive. The two-year Morgan Stanley Foundation grant is a continuation of Morgan Stanley’s long-standing partnership with KaBOOM!, which has already led to the creation of 20 playgrounds, serving more than 9,500 kids around the country.

With this new grant, Morgan Stanley volunteers and KaBOOM! partners will work together to create 21 new play spaces for children, more than doubling the existing play spaces already created in efforts with Morgan Stanley employees. Five of these play spaces will be physical playgrounds built in cities across the United States. The remaining 16 will be creative play grants for Imagination Playgrounds and Rigamajig units, which allow for year-round activity in areas with limited space or inclement weather. These new play spaces will involve the collective effort of over 850 Morgan Stanley employee volunteers and will benefit an estimated 36,500 children living in underserved communities.

“Play is crucial to a child’s emotional, physical, and intellectual development, and we are proud to build upon our already successful partnership with KaBOOM!, expanding access to free, public play spaces for children everywhere,” said Joan Steinberg, Global Head of Philanthropy at Morgan Stanley. “For more than 50 years, the Morgan Stanley Foundation has supported healthy starts and solid educations for the children in our communities, and it’s inspiring to see our nonprofit partners and employee volunteers collaborate to have a tangible impact on children’s health and well-being.”

“Play is critical for kids to grow up happy, healthy and resilient, yet far too many kids are missing out on a chance to play,” said Lysa Ratliff, Vice President of Partnership Development, KaBOOM!. “Through our longtime partnership with Morgan Stanley, spaces are created so that more kids have the opportunity to get the play they need to thrive in life. We are grateful for their commitment to all kids getting the childhood they deserve through play.”

Where space is limited, creative play products allow for play to take place in the classroom, gymnasium, recreation centers, and beyond. Imagination Playground and Rigamajig encourage free play, creativity, communication and collaboration.

Imagination Playground is an innovative play system that encourages creativity, communication and collaboration in play. With a collection of custom-designed, oversized blue foam shapes, Imagination Playground provides a changing array of elements that allow kids to create a playspace that is constantly built and re-built by their imagination.

Rigamajig is a large-scale building kit filled with wooden plants, wheels, pulleys, nuts, bolts and rope that enhances STE(A)M learning and allows children to actively play and create. Rigamajig allows children to develop language, communication and problem solving skills that are key to cognitive development.

Morgan Stanley is a leading global financial services firm providing investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services. With offices in more than 41 countries, the Firm's employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, institutions and individuals. For more information about Morgan Stanley, please visit www.morganstanley.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190430005747/en/

Media Relations:Katherine Stueber, [e-mail]