Cooke Foundation Awards $1.6 Million to STEM Programs for Low-Income Students

The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation has awarded $1,632,598 in grants to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education programs for low-income students.

According to a statement from the organization, many low-income students with the aptitude for STEM fields miss out on educational opportunities that could lead them on the path to careers in those fields. The foundation aims to support those students by funding STEM education programs at the middle and high school levels.

Programs that received grants this year include:

  • New York Academy of Sciences in New York, NY, which received $500,000 to launch the Global STEM Alliance Junior Academy, a social learning network for students aged 13-19 that offers online courses and mentoring from STEM professionals;
  • Duke University Talent Identification Program in Durham, NC, which received $331,283 to support 435 low-income student in grades 6 and 7 and enable them to participate in a one-week residential summer program from Project Launch called CRISIS, engage in creative investigations, complete online courses, participate in a nation-wide online book club and receive academic guidance through email and text messages;
  • Art of Problem Solving in New York, NY, which received $330,000 to support the Summer Program in Mathematical Problem Solving, a three-week residential program for 80 low-income middle school students, and provide year-round academic mentoring for approximately 170 of the program's alumni;
  • The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA, which received $250,000 for continued support of Camp Launch, a two-week summer residential camp for 80 high-ability, low-income middle school students, offering hands-on science investigation in nanotechnology, robotics, chemistry and ecology, as well as scientific and creative writing and career planning;
  • Purdue University Gifted Education Research Institute in West Lafayette, IN, which received $200,000 to help 65 Native American students in grades 6-12 participate in Project HOPE+, a two-week STEM-focused residential summer camp; and
  • The Center for Mathematical Talent (CMT) at New York University in New York, NY, which received $21,315 to support its high school mathematics team that will compete in the New York State Mathematics League Competition in April 2015 and the American Regions Mathematics League Competition in May 2015.

Further information about the grants can be found on the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation's site.

About the Author

Leila Meyer is a technology writer based in British Columbia. She can be reached at [email protected].

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