TORRANCE, Calif. (Sept. 23, 2014) – Robotics competitions in Detroit that inspire students from low-income families to explore engineering. An outdoor learning lab on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota that encourages Lakota students to pursue degrees in the environmental sciences.  Mobile workshops across New York state that engage young people from diverse backgrounds in STEM careers.  These are just some of the innovative education programs that the Toyota U.S.A. Foundation will support with its 2014 grants, which total more than $5 million.   
 
“At Toyota, we believe that when we provide young people with exciting opportunities in STEM we can help cultivate the next generation of engineers, scientists and technologists – and that benefits all of us,” said Michael Rouse, Toyota U.S.A. Foundation President.  “This year’s grant recipients are among the most innovative education programs in the country.  We are inspired by their work and look forward to seeing what their students will accomplish, both this school year and beyond.”
 
The Toyota U.S.A. Foundation will distribute grants in 2014 to 23 organizations that offer innovative K-12 programs, which focus on science, technology, environmental science and math and serve diverse communities across all 50 states. More information on the 2014 grantees and their work is below. 

 

GRANTEE ORGANIZATIONS	AMOUNT	PURPOSE OF GRANT
Biotech Partners, Berkeley, CA	$200,000 over two years	To expand access to Biotech Partners’ two-year biotech education program to reach more high school students in underserved communities and prepare them for careers in the life science industry.
The Center for Education Innovation, Jackson, MS	$412,945 over three years	To provide PK-5th graders and teachers with hands-on STEM experiences that will create opportunities to expose and excite them about STEM fields.
Center for Inspired Teaching, Washington, DC	$400,000 over two years	To disseminate and replicate an innovative, literacy-infused STEM program currently being implemented in DC that builds teacher capacity, and creates an engaging, inquiry-based curriculum.
Conservancy of Southwest Florida , Naples, FL	$175,000	To protect Southwest Florida’s water, land and wildlife through teaching children to be tomorrow’s conservationists with hands-on activities in indoor and outdoor labs.
The Green Schools Alliance (GSA), New York, NY	$100,000	To empower students and raise awareness about climate change and resource conservation though engaging a network of pre-K-12 schools.
The Huron River Watershed Council, Ann Arbor, MI	$250,000 over two years	To work with middle and high school students to evaluate the health of local streams and educate their communities, simultaneously building their ecological skills.
Institute for Earth Science Research and Education, Eagleville, Pennsylvania	$184,475 over three years	To support science teachers’ professional development through on-site and online workshops, mentoring and equipment.
The Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth, Los Angeles, Baltimore and New York	$750,500 over three years	To expand opportunities for college access and entry into STEM fields for academically talented, low-income, underrepresented minority students
Kettering University’s FIRST Robotics Program, Flint, Michigan	$100,000	To help equip a new community center for robot fabrication, academic support and multi-level mentorship for 500 economically disadvantaged high school students.
MIND Research Institute, Irvine, California	$200,000	To expand the reach of its unique and innovative visual ST Math program to increase the math proficiency of 4,500 high-need public school students.
National Council for Science and the Environment, Washington, DC	$332,797 over two years	To provide training and support to mentors who prepare more than 400 high school students for paths in STEM through college and into their careers.
New York Academy of Sciences, New York, NY	$100,000	To match graduate students in STEM fields with afterschool programs and K-12 science classrooms in New York’s underserved communities.
The Oliver Scholars Program, New York, NY	$135,000 over two years	To prepare Hispanic and Latino rising sophomores for rigorous science and math courses and inspire them to leverage STEM skills in pursuit of their goals.
Red Cloud Indian School, Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota	$210,000 over three years	To bolster science and math education for nearly 600 Lakota students in classrooms and a greenhouse to enable them to pursue STEM degrees in college.
Rocking the Boat, Inc., Bronx, NY	$130,000	To engage high school students in the Bronx in math, science, problem-solving, leadership and teamwork to improve the state of the Bronx River and prepare the teens for college.
SAE Foundation, Warrendale, PA	$200,000	To encourage student participation and achievement in STEM from kindergarten through college by providing STEM professionals in small classroom settings.
San Antonio College (Alamo Colleges), San Antonio, TX	$200,000	To support hands-on education through real-world scenarios and space simulation to inspire and prepare students for high-skilled STEM jobs.
Science Buddies, Carmel, CA	$200,000 over two years	To support the design and implementation of the Teacher Dashboard, a new digital tool to help teachers manage multiple, individualized student science projects.
North Alabama Science Center, Inc., Sci-Quest Hands-on Science Center, Huntsville, AL	$199,918 over two years	To inspire interest in the creative design aspect of STEM careers through establishing a new, interactive design studio exhibit as well as engineering design clubs at 15 Alabama elementary and middle schools.
The Texas Alliance for Minorities in Engineering, Austin, TX	$50,000	To encourage families of girls and Hispanic children to support STEM careers with Family Math and Science nights at 10 local Texas elementary and middle schools.
Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy, Washington, DC	$300,000	To establish academic enrichment programs that provide scholar-athletes with mentors in support of their STEM and literary curricula.
West Point Association of Graduates, West Point, New York	$270,000 over two years	To support efforts to maintain a pipeline of STEM-specialized talent for West Point and the Army with an emphasis on minority populations.
Wow Science Corporation of Blackwood, NJ	$62,145	To promote 900 children’s interest in science and prevent summer learning loss through science camp.