The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation has awarded grants totaling $460,000 to eight nonprofit organizations and 123 classroom projects to expand STEAM education opportunities for Pre-K-12 students in Atlanta, Fulton County and DeKalb County public schools.
Through its new grantmaking initiative, The Pipeline Project, the Blank Family Foundation seeks to build a new talent pipeline in the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics – the STEAM subject areas where Georgia forecasts job growth. The Pipeline Project awards grants to classroom teachers and after-school and summer programs, building both the supply of and the demand for STEAM programs among children and families.
In support of classroom teachers, The Pipeline Project awarded a $55,000 grant to DonorsChoose.org, an online crowdsourcing platform. Attracting matching donations from 465 donors, The Pipeline Project partnership with DonorsChoose.org funded 123 STEAM projects across 71 high-need public schools in Atlanta, Fulton and DeKalb public schools. These classroom projects will reach more than 15,000 students.
In support of community-based programs that deliver hands-on learning opportunities and maker experiences for students during the summer and after-school hours, The Pipeline Project has awarded $405,000 in grants to eight organizations reaching more than 1,700 young people.
“The Pipeline Project believes in learning by doing and seeks to use experiential programs to draw more students into a pipeline that promises personal and professional growth,” said Penelope McPhee, president of The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. “We are investing in innovations that set learning on fire.”
Programs funded through The Pipeline Project are expanding opportunities for youth across the range of STEAM fields, including filmmaking, 3D printing, making, computer coding, robotics, photography, visual arts and design, math, physical science, physics and life sciences.
To learn more about The Pipeline Project, visit www.BlankFoundation.org/pipeline.
Summary of The Pipeline Project grants to community-based programs:
Clarkston Community Center
$16,000
To engage 50 Clarkston youth, ages 8-13, in exploring geometry, mapping and design (STEAM concepts) using 3D printers.
Community Guilds,STE(A)M Truck
$100,000 over two years
To accelerate the maker movement by using the STE(A)M Truck mobile platform to seed maker hubs at libraries, recreation centers and other public spaces that build local capacity and expand opportunity.
Georgia Tech Foundation, Georgia Center for Music Technology
$65,000
To enable students to learn coding and computational thinking using an elementary-student-user-friendly version of EarSketch, a free online digital music mixing platform, leading to a replicable STEAM pipeline program.
Horizons of Greater Atlanta
$25,000
To train 115 elementary and middle school level summer instructors in project-based learning and STEAM instruction.
Museum of Design Atlanta
$18,000
To provide hands-on STEAM-focused learning opportunities for students and training for program staff to sustain the program beyond the MODA residency period.
Nsoromma School
$31,000
To provide project-based and culturally responsive learning experiences that allow students from underrepresented groups to see themselves as “STEAMers” and thus develop their interest and competence in STEAM-related career pathways.
PowerMyLearning
$75,000
To leverage technology and digital learning to promote STEAM literacy, drive student achievement in STEAM subjects, and build the pipeline of STEAM talent among low-income students in Washington and South Atlanta APS Clusters.
Re:Imagine/ATL
$75,000 over two years
To teach 5th-12th graders video, film, and music production as a means to guide youth from apathy to empathy and into action.
Read more at http://atlanta.daybooknetwork.com/story/2015-12-14/51591-steam-education-grants/email#M3QPDCTrCb20kwg1.99