Buffalo, NY/Detroit, MI – The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation has announced its cohort for STEM 2035, a $5.5-million initiative through which grant funding and technical assistance will be provided to existing afterschool and summer STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs in Western New York and Southeast Michigan.
Community Connections of NY (CCNY), a nonprofit management
services organization, is overseeing the STEM 2035 initiative for the
Foundation. A funding announcement was distributed earlier this year and after
receiving more than 100 applications from across the Foundation’s two regions
of focus, CCNY has awarded a grant to Wellsville Central School District, for
up to $250,000 over a three-year.
Grantees were selected based on a variety of factors,
including their focus on middle and high school girls and underrepresented
groups in the STEM field and innovative approaches to program expansion or new
programming.
“During the next 16-plus years of our Foundation’s spend
down, we are looking to these organizations to not only equip young leaders for
the STEM industry today but to create pathways that will allow for success
beyond our exit,” said Amber Slichta, vice president of programs, Ralph C. Wilson,
Jr. Foundation. “There are obvious gaps that prevent underrepresented groups
from pursuing STEM in their education, careers and training. Through this
initiative, we hope to fill these gaps and better prepare the next generation’s
workforce.”
