FOUNDATION GRANTS $750K TO PROMOTE STEM EDUCATION
More than a dozen San Diego County nonprofits will be the recipients of $750,000 in grants from The San Diego Foundation to create more opportunities for youths to study STEM fields.
The foundation is directing funds to 13 programs reaching young people, particularly those from underrepresented communities. The San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation recently reported that Latino and Black communities are greatly underrepresented in San Diego’s highest-paying industries and occupations, many of which are related to STEM — science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The programs receiving grants are:
San Diego State University Research Foundation, supporting the WE BELIEVE program (Women and Black Empowered Learners Interning in Engineering Environments). The university will provide summer research internships for Black high school and community college students.
CREATE, University of California San Diego, expanding the STEMULATE program ( STEM Undergraduate Leadership and Teaching Empowerment), which provides low-income and underrepresented K-12 students with mentorship and internship opportunities.
PATHS, University of California San Diego, supporting PATHways to STEM Through Enhanced Access and Mentorship,
which provides STEM students with financial aid, basic needs and support so they can concentrate on pursuing their degrees.
Miramar College Foundation, supporting the SCE program (Supply Chain Experience) at the Southern California Biotechnology Center at San Diego Miramar College. The program improves career readiness among underrepresented community college students with advanced internships.
California State University San Marcos, allowing more students to participate in the STEM Summer Scholars program, which focuses on students transferring from local community
colleges and gives them hands-on experience.
Office of Undergraduate Research, University of San Diego, providing stipends to underrepresented STEM students in the university’s Pre-Undergraduate Research Experience (PURE) and Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) programs. The programs pair undergraduates with faculty mentors for summer research internships.
Access Inc., supporting youths who have experienced trauma and overcome challenges such as homelessness. Students are helped to build competencies and achieve academic
and social milestones.
Palomar College Foundation, funding the college’s STEM Robotics Summer Institute, which offers underserved students an opportunity to see themselves as future robotics engineers, developers, and designers. The initiative puts them directly in the facilities of a local robotics lab.
Interfaith Community Ser vices, supporting the Transitional Youth Academy 2021 STEM Summer Internship Program, which provides underrepresented youths with STEM-focused paid internships.
Zoological Society of San Diego, expanding the reach of the San Diego Zoo
Global Internships in Conservation Technology program, which helps underrepresented young adults who are pursuing degrees in computer science, data science, and/or engineering through internships.
San Diego Natural History Museum, allowing the museum to offer stipendsupported STEM internships that build professional experience and expertise in research and biological consulting.
Salk Institute for Biological Studies, enabling more underrepresented young adults to participate in the Heithoff-Brody High School Summer Scholars program. During the program, they work on original research projects with Salk scientist-mentors in an eight-week paid internship at the institute.
Elementary Institute of
Science, connecting students, especially females from Title I high schools, with stipend-supported STEM internships that move them into advanced scientific and technical career opportunity paths. Students learn to build, program, and f ly drones, leading to Federal Aviation Administration commercial drone pilot certification.
Since 1999, the Science & Technology Program at The San Diego Foundation has granted more than $8 million to support scientists and engineers in San Diego. The Science and Technology Program is funded in part by the Blasker-Rose-Miah Endowment Fund at The San Diego Foundation and The Reuben H. Fleet Foundation. Visit SDFoundation.org/STEM.