Funding, Grants & Awards

Cognizant Selects 34 STEM Ed Grant Winners

• By Joshua Bolkan
• 02/18/15

Cognizant has selected 34 grant winners for its Making the Future STEM education initiative.

Awarded to school, after-school and summer programs at 54 sites, the grants are designed to help inspire interest in STEM subjects among K-12 students — particularly among girls and minorities — and to support "hands-on learning opportunities that promote creativity, problem-solving, collaboration and self-expression," according to a news release. "The 2015 grants will provide more than 5,000 young learners with access to over 250,000 hours of making activities focused on STEM topics, including electronics, robotics, computer programming, digital fabrication, 3D printing and wearable technology."

This year's grants are part of a larger commitment from the company to help provide 1.5 million hours of "making experiences" for 25,000 students between 2014-2017.

"As a technology leader, we know that closing the talent gap in the STEM fields is critical to keeping America's innovation economy vibrant. The innovative programs that we have developed and support help inspire and prepare our youth to capitalize on the growing number of STEM career opportunities," said Steven Schwartz, executive vice president and chief corporate affairs officer at Cognizant, in a prepared statement.. "Making is an excellent way to ignite interest in STEM.  By providing access to interactive learning opportunities in a wide range of communities, we are helping children across a broad range of socio-economic backgrounds bring their discoveries and dreams to life."

More information is available at cognizant.com.