Education for Social Change

Medtronic Foundation Pledges $4M, Employee Volunteerism to 13 STEM Programs Serving Underrepresented Students

• By Kristal Kuykendall
• 01/24/22

The Medtronic Foundation has announced it will invest nearly $4 million in 13 education organizations serving underrepresented and underserved K–12 students in Minnesota, Northern California, and Puerto Rico, in an effort to create opportunity for economic advancement through STEM education.

Over the next two years, the Medtronic Foundation’s funds as well as Medtronic employee volunteers will help the selected programs provide STEM education to over 60,000 underserved and underrepresented students across three priority areas. The regions were chosen “based on evidence of racial and economic disparities where Medtronic employees have the greatest footprint and capability to drive social change,” Medtronic said in a news release.

“Long-lasting, community driven changes start locally. Our partners have trust of communities, and the expertise to lead transformative change in STEM education,” said Jess Daly, Medtronic Foundation’s director of programs and partnerships. “Together with our partners and Medtronic employee volunteers, we're narrowing in on places we are uniquely equipped to help create a world where there are no barriers to health, wellbeing and prosperity.”

Medtronic employee volunteers will work with each organization to organize employee mentorship for students and other skilled volunteerism for the programs.

The organizations to receive funds and volunteer time from Medtronic employees are:

• 10,000 degrees (California)
• Career Technical Education Foundation (California)
• Ciencia PR (Puerto Rico)
• Eureka Enrichment Services (Puerto Rico)
• Girls Who Code (Minnesota)
• LandPaths (California)
• Project Lead The Way (California, Minnesota)
• Puerto Rico Science and Research Trust (Puerto Rico)
• Science from Scientists (Minnesota, Puerto Rico)
• Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (California, Minnesota, Puerto Rico)
• Spark-Y (Minnesota)
• Starbase MN (Minnesota)
• Wallin Education Partners (Minnesota)

The STEM education and volunteerism partnerships are part of Medtronic Foundation’s goal to elevate its focus on STEM and promote equity and representation with the goal of improving lives of underserved communities, the organization said. The new investments “build on existing community health partnerships with Northern California Center for Well-Being and HealthFinders Collaborative in key locations,” the foundation said. For more information, visit medtronicfoundation.org.