With backing from Boeing, this Wilmington STEM program takes flight

The Forum to Advance Minorities in Engineering, Inc. (better known as FAME) announced it received funding from aircraft maker The Boeing Company, as part of a new $55-million grant package aimed at nonprofits worldwide.

FAME was founded in Wilmington in 1976 to address the lack of underrepresented minorities and women in the engineering and science professions. The grant will support FAME’s STEMulate Change Outreach Initiative, which provides out-of-school STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) project-based-learning programs for K-6 students.

FAME did not immediately respond to an email requesting clarification on the amount of the grant. Though the $55 million grant package is new (and part of $230 million in the company’s overall charitable giving for 2018), Boeing has been a contributor to STEM education for years, including previous support for FAME.

“We can’t thank The Boeing Company enough for their generous support,” said FAME, Inc.’s CEO, Donald L. Baker II, in a statement. “Our partnership helps fill the demand for the next generation of STEM learners with the ever-growing need for a STEM-ready workforce. The Boeing Company has helped us reach over 10,000 students and families over the last two years. FAME, Inc. will reach an unprecedented number of Delawareans in 2019 thanks to this grant.”

Other organizations with a Delaware presence receiving a grant from Boeing include FIRST Robotics, which has teams across the state. For example, Razor Steel Robotics, which gave flashy demonstrations at the Delaware Innovation Week kickoff partyin November.