nVent Foundation Awards STEM Grants to Four Organizations
The nVent Foundation has announced that it will award STEM—science, technology, engineering and math—grants to four outstanding organizations. One of the focuses of our philanthropic efforts at nVent is on STEM education opportunities for young people, particularly underrepresented groups in communities where nVent has business operations.
This year’s grantees include Dunwoody College of Technology, Science Buddies, Volunteers of America and Girls Dream Code. Three of the four organizations were 2022 grant recipients as well. One year after the grant is awarded, each organization will be asked to complete a progress report that details how grant dollars were spent during the year. The four recipients shared their mission, program details and how they plan to use the grant money in their applications.
Dunwoody College of Technology
The mission of Dunwoody College of Technology is to change lives by building opportunities for graduates to have successful careers, to develop into leaders and entrepreneurs, and to engage in “the better performance of life’s duties.” (From the Last Will and testament of William Hood Dunwoody). nVent's grant will support Dunwoody’s Pathways to Careers (P2C) program which cultivates relationships with industry and community organizations to create a pipeline for under-represented students. The program supports students that are high school juniors or seniors or post-traditional adult students in the Twin Cities area. The goals of the program are to address the gaps to successful careers within under-represented communities, address the income gap by supporting more underserved students with a career tech education and help provide more skilled workers.
The college plans to balance enrollment and tuition revenue and grow contributions from foundations, corporations and businesses to continue growth in the future. Dunwoody’s leadership and Trustees are committed to the program’s growth, reflecting its dedicated commitment to diversity and meeting workforce needs. With the grant from nVent, Dunwoody College of Technology anticipates serving 211 people in its Minneapolis location.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies has a mission of inspiring and educating students of all ages with hands-on STEM resources that reflect their personal interests. By providing highly personalized educational experiences, it drives student discovery, engagement and learning in STEM subjects and careers. Science Buddies make STEM possible for students of all demographics. Their program title is: Bringing Hands-on STEM and STEM Career Exploration to nVent Communities. The program's overall goals are to provide K-12 resources that guide students and educators in hands-on STEM learning and to provide information about STEM careers as early as middle school.
The Science Buddies program will expand on its work from a previous grant to support hands-on STEM education and career exploration in Charlotte and Aberdeen, North Carolina while also initiating a similar program in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. With the grant from nVent, educators will provide more impactful hands-on STEM learning experiences to students. The organization seeks funding to develop and distribute new resources to increase the effectiveness of the STEM education, provide its Career Discovery Tool free for the 2023-2024 school year and engage students with age-appropriate frameworks in STEM education. Science Buddies will serve over 50,000 K-12 students across these nVent communities throughout the 2023-2024 school year.
Volunteers of America
Volunteers of America strives to help people build hope, resilience, and well-being. Its program title is Learning and Career Exploration through STEM. With the support of the nVent Foundation for the second consecutive year, Volunteers of America of Minnesota (VOA-MN) will hold STEM exploration opportunities through 12 weekly group activities at three Youth Residential Services (YRS) sites in the Twin Cities Metro area. The program's goals include offering educational activities to expose youth to STEM learning and providing engaging activities during a difficult time in the lives of those served. nVent's grant will provide VOA-MN with the funds to facilitate these activities and purchase the necessary materials.
VOA-MN expects to serve 100 people in Youth Residential Services in the Twin Cities metro area. The young people range from ages 12-17 and face significant mental health challenges typically associated with life histories of unstable family, arrest, sexual, physical and/or emotional abuse. The program is anticipated to run from July 2023 to June 2024. nVent holds a unique connection with VOA-MN since Lynnette Heath, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resource Officer at nVent was a Board Member of Volunteers of America of Minnesota from 2013-2022.
Girls Dream Code
Girls Dream Code is an organization striving to empower young girls of color and low-income girls, ages 10-17, to pursue an interest in technology by providing free tech workshops. Its mission is to promote opportunities in technology, learn tech skills, decrease the gender and diversity gap in tech, increase inclusivity and create a safe and comfortable space for young girls to excel in all that they do. Girls Dream Code has a STEM education youth development program known as Code Your Path. The program is a free, fun and educational program that introduces low-income girls and girls of color to tech skills and activities. Throughout the program, girls learn about software development and coding, gain hands-on technology experience and work collaboratively on a web or mobile app project. Through the program, girls will increase their knowledge of STEM concepts, enhance technical skills, learn the in-demand skills needed in the growing tech industry, take initiative and seek out additional opportunities to learn about STEM and lean on mentors for personal and professional growth.
Statistics show that women only make up 25% of the technology workforce with Black women holding 3% and Hispanic women making up 1%. There is a need to support students of color and provide them with resources and mentorship to succeed in STEM. Girls Dream Code works with charter schools, upward bound programs and youth-based organizations. Girls Dream Code anticipates serving 50 BIPOC and low-income girls ranging from ages 10-17 in the Twin Cities metro area in Minnesota. The program will run from October 2023 to December 2023 with the initiative to empower young BIPOC & low-income girls to build interest and achievement in STEM.