DC’s Society for Science & the Public awarded $75K in STEM grants to 18 orgs

Dupont Circle-based Society for Science & the Public (SSP) awarded $75,000 in grants to 18 STEM-focused organizations in the U.S. serving underserved and underrepresented groups, it announced last week.

Founded in 1921, the nonprofit promotes science education for young adults by providing grants for STEM programs, hosting competitions and more. The recent grant awards came from SSP’s STEM Action Grant Program, which invests in nonprofits enhancing science education in underserved populations. To date, SSP has awarded $245,000 in grants to organizations improving access to STEM education.

“The STEM education community must address the racial, gender and socioeconomic disparities and divides that are stunting the potential of the next generation of STEM leaders,” said Maya Ajmera, president and CEO of SSP and publisher of Science News, in a statement. “That’s a key reason why we created the STEM Action Grant program, and why we’re investing in these 18 innovative organizations that are nurturing potential in underrepresented communities.”

The organization reported that the awardees have launched virtual programs to continue to serve communities through COVID-19.

Of the 18 grant winners, five hail from the DMV region. Here they are, with descriptions and their grant amounts:

• Black Girls Dive Foundation in Owen Mills, Maryland ($5,000) — The foundation supports young girls in Baltimore and Trenton, New Jersey, who are interested in marine STEM fields through aquatic-based recreational and STEM activities.
• Congressional App Challenge in Washington, D.C. ($2,500) — The five-year-old project from the Internet Education Foundation encourages students how to code through annual competitions hosted by members of Congress.
• inteGIRLS Inc. in Rockville, Maryland ($2,500) — The organization hosts math competitions for middle and high school girls in the U.S. Next year, inteGIRLS will host events in the D.C. area, Seattle, New York City and Houston.
• Rosie Riveters in Alexandria, Virginia ($5,000) — The organization manages a space that offers girls ages 4 to 14 hands-on activities focused on STEM.
• Safe Alternative Foundation for Education in Baltimore, Maryland ($2,500) — The nonprofit provides year-round STEM learning opportunities for middle school students.

Rosie Riveter’s grant will specifically help facilitate more than 40 weeks of digital STEM content for the organization.

“This grant is yet another amazing opportunity for us to continue our work to inspire girls to be strong, confident, and competent in STEM,” said Brittany Greer, the organization’s founder and executive director, in a statement. “We are excited to reach more girls through our distance learning content and continue our work to change the face of STEM, one girl at a time.”

For the Congressional App Challenge, this funding will offset the cost of running its application portal and provide some compensation for interns and staff. The project has received STEM Action grants from SSP for the last two years.

This grant “will empower us to raise awareness in Congress about the importance of STEM education and reach more students, especially those underrepresented in STEM,” a rep from the organization said.