On Wednesday, the Society for Science & the Public announced the donation of $35,000 in grants to eight innovative organizations that support community-based STEM projects.

Through the STEM Action Grant Program, the Society plans to fund “mission-driven organizations that promote STEM and science literacy.

“Now is the time to nurture and support community-based organizations that are finding innovative ways to get young people interested and involved in STEM disciplines,” said Maya Ajmera, President and CEO of the Society for Science & the Public and Publisher of Science News 5 in a press release.

The following organizations received STEM Action Grants:

  • BioBus, Inc. (New York, NY) will receive $5,000 from the Society to support their mission to help minority, female, and low-income students reach their full potential in science fields through hands-on science experiments in a mobile lab.
  • Black Girls Dive Foundation, Inc (Owing Mills, MD) will receive $5,000 to support the group’s mission to empower and engage young underrepresented girls in marine STEM fields.
  • CodeVA (Richmond, VA) will receive $2,000 to support its mission of improving access to and quality of computer science education in the state of Virginia. CodeVA’s new program, Full STEAM Ahead, connects middle school girls to female STEAM professionals, a proven way to keep girls interested in STEM.
  • Georgetown Day School (Washington, DC), an independent K-12 school with a mission to ensure equity to children of all races, will receive $3,000 to support its annual STEAM conference. The grant will afford high school students the opportunity to connect with and learn about STEAM professionals by presentations and intimate dialogue.
  • Putting Birds in the Hands of Underserved Rural Youth/ Bird Conservancy of the Rockies will receive $5,000 to expand delivery of STEM-related educational activities for low-income students in the Nebraska Panhandle, a predominantly rural community. The funds will also help extend the programs to Pine Ridge Indian Reservation for the first time, home to the Oglala Sioux. T
  • Sci-Inspire (Washington, DC) will receive $5,000 from the Society to support its mission to strengthen U.S. science education by cultivating and sustaining partnerships between institutions of higher education and K-12 schools. University volunteers connect with students in various ways like mentoring kids with their science fair projects and supporting in-class teaching.
  • Science from Scientists (Bedford, MA) will receive $5,000 to support and grow its mission to teach and inspire the next generation of scientists by improving STEM literacy and enrichment programs. The funds will help expand the organization’s In-School Module Based (ISMB) programs, which currently support 55 partner schools in Massachusetts, California, and Minnesota.
  • Virtual Field Trips/Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum (New York, NY)an educational and cultural museum centered on the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid, a National Historic Landmark, will receive $5,000 from the Society. As one of the world’s most successful historic ship museums, the facilities and exhibitions draw more than one million visitors annually.

Amazing.

According to its website, the Society for Science & the Public was created to provide support and dedication to the achievement of young scientists in independent research and public engagement in science. Learn more at www.societyforscience.org.