The Whitaker Fund for Math & Science Education, a fund of The Foundation for Enhancing Communities (TFEC), is pleased to announce 13 grant awards totaling $123,250 to support nonprofit organizations and educational institutions that offer programs and services that lead to math and science proficiency and literacy.
The Whitaker Foundation Regional Program conducts an annual competitive grantmaking program for nonprofit organizations serving the counties of Cumberland, Dauphin, and Perry counties. The focus of the Whitaker Foundation Regional Program is to support programs that have the overarching value of improving math and science proficiency and literacy and to fund projects that will have the greatest impact on the quality of life and positive outcomes for individuals and families living in the tri-county region.
A total of $123,250 was distributed through this first round of grantmaking for 2015. Due to the overwhelming response of this first round of grantmaking, the committee unanimously decided to cancel the second round of grantmaking for 2015. The deadline for the first round of grantmaking in 2016 will be scheduled for early May with the application becoming available online in early March. Visit www.tfec.org for more information.
TFEC aims to stimulate philanthropy and enhance the quality of life in the community through accumulating, managing, and disbursing financial assets while serving as a catalyst and neutral convener to meet a wide range of community needs in the south central Pennsylvania counties of Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lebanon, and Perry, and also in the Dillsburg area. To learn more about TFEC, visit www.tfec.org.
The following is a list of grant recipients, the amount of funding and a brief description of the projects.
• Allison Hill Community Ministry – $5,000 for the Allison Hill Community Ministry After-School Program that emphasizes the importance of academic disciplines through education and activities for local high school students.
• Capital Region Arts and Education – $15,000 for the “Water: Biology Curriculum for CASA Charter School” that will focus around the central theme of water: its effect on life, environmental sustainability and human impact.
• Center for Champions of PA Inc. – $5,500 for the Achievers Club, an after-school program that focuses on math, reading and science.
• HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College – $16,000 for their developmental math redesign, a project that will create a pathway to successful completion of a degree program or transfer to a four-year institution.
• Harrisburg School District – $20,000 for the Hamilton STEM Innovation Hub which will reside in the Hamilton building, which will be reopened and renovated to create and expand a community based learning lab.
• Northern Dauphin County Christian School Association – $2,800 for “Schoolhouse Science” Mobile Lab Project, Phase 2; an alternative educational program that has extended curriculum for 11th and 12th grade students.
• The Pennsylvania State University – $10,000 for the Pennsylvania Mathematics Initiative, which focuses on strengthening mathematical proficiency and teaching expertise in teachers in grades K – 5 through professional development workshops.
• Retired Senior Volunteer Program of the Capital Region Inc. – $10,000 for the 2015/2016 Lower Dauphin after school and summer science programs that center on engaging students in the application of scientific analysis.
• The Salvation Army Harrisburg Capital City Region – $20,000 for youth programs-food science curriculum, which includes nutritional education.
• Shalom House – $2,500 for “Partnership for Progress” a program that provides educational opportunities in partnership with the Joshua Center to women to assist them in overcoming challenges to achieve sustainable independence.
• Tri County Opportunities Industrialization Center Inc. – $8,700 for “Science at Work” a program that will provide after-school and summer science education for elementary school-aged students.
• Yellow Breeches Educational Center – $7,750 to develop a math curriculum that incorporates computer assisted instruction to allow students a more hands-on and interactive educational experience.
