San Diego Foundation Grants $1.1M to Expand Diversity in the Local STEM Workforce Pipeline

April 6, 2023 – San Diego, CA – San Diego Foundation announced today it has awarded $1,130,000 in grants to local nonprofit organizations to increase the number of historically underrepresented, high-potential students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers.

“The future workforce continues to face systemic barriers resulting in lower degree completion rates and unequal access to high-paying jobs in our local innovation economy,” said Mark Stuart, SDF President & CEO. “By focusing on youth and young adults, we have the opportunity to strengthen the workforce of the near future.”

Due to the high number of compelling grant applications, in addition to $850,000 in funding from the Science & Technology Program, SDF identified an additional $280,000 to fund similar workforce programs for local high school and college students.

The 2023 Science & Technology Program grant recipients include:

Additional organizations that received grants from SDF include:

As the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation and the Brookings Institution outlined in “Future of Growth in San Diego: The Economic Case for Inclusion and Building San Diego’s Talent Pipeline,” San Diego has become an innovation powerhouse. Despite this great potential, not all San Diegans benefit from the advances of the innovation economy. The San Diego region needs more highly skilled workers to maintain its competitive edge.

Since 1999, the Science & Technology Program has granted more than $10.3 million to support scientists and engineers in San Diego. The Science & Technology Program is funded in part by the Blasker-Rose-Miah Endowment Fund at San Diego Foundation and The Reuben H. Fleet Foundation. For more information about the SDF Science & Technology Program, visit SDFoundation.org/STEM.

About San Diego Foundation

San Diego Foundation inspires enduring philanthropy and enables community solutions to improve the quality of life in our region. Our strategic priorities include advancing racial and social justice, fostering equity of opportunity, building resilient communities, and delivering world-class philanthropy to realize our vision of just, equitable and resilient communities. The Workforce Development Initiative champions building a resilient region that supports the prosperity of employees, businesses and local communities. For more than 47 years, SDF and its donors have granted more than $1.4 billion to support nonprofit organizations strengthening our community. Learn more at SDFoundation.org.

Contact

Lorena Nava Ruggero, San Diego Foundation, lruggero@sdfoundation.org, 619-814-1365
Link: San Diego Foundation b-roll

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