STEM Programs are Getting a Boost From Grants

STEM programs are getting a boost from grants on the big island of Hawaii.

The Hawaii Community Foundation is awarding over $1 million to 35 programs on the island in grants through its Hawaii STEM Learning Partnership.

Started in 2015, the partnership has distributed over $2.2 million islandwide.  Nine donors fund the partnership, which supports programs that prepare students for the 21st century workforce in Hawaii.

Among the goals of the partnership, increasing the number of STEM programs and teachers on the island is paramount, with the intent of also increasing the number of graduates who enter STEM related fields after high school.

One of the programs that received funding this year is the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center’s Manu ‘Imiloa outreach program. The grant will support the seventh and eighth grade curriculum, The Geometry of Wayfinding”.

”We’re very grateful to the Hawaii Community Foundation for partnering on this,” said director of institutional advancement Margaret Shiba. “(The grant’s purpose) is right up our alley in terms of STEM education being what ‘Imiloa is all about.”