Diversity & Inclusion

US2020: City of Philadelphia wins part of $1M federal STEM grant

The federal competition, named US2020, was a response to President Obama's challenge for cities to get more students interested in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

Students participate in the WebSlam Philly hackathon, Nov. 23, 2013 (Photo by Flickr user Digital Harbor Foundation, used under a Creative Commons license)

The City of Philadelphia will be one of seven cities to launch a one-year, federally-funded STEM mentorship program, according to a release. The federal competition, named US2020, was a response to President Obama’s challenge for cities to get more students interested in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

The seven cities will share a $1 million grant to run the program, though a spokeswoman said it is not yet clear how much Philadelphia will get. It’s also not clear when the program will start, the spokeswoman said.

Philadelphia’s winning proposal focuses on matching local youth, especially girls, low-income students and minorities, with STEM professionals. The proposal includes 50 partners, including corporations like Saint-Gobain, Microsoft, GlaxoSmithKline and youth programs like Spark Philadelphia, The Hacktory and Temple’s MESA program. The program will be led by Lori Shorr, the School District’s Chief Education Officer.

See the full list of partners
Companies: City of Philadelphia / GlaxoSmithKline / Microsoft / Spark Philadelphia / The Hacktory
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