Million Girls Moonshot Comes to Massachusetts! State's Afterschool Network Joins Nationwide Effort to Close the Gender Gap in STEM

BOSTON, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The STEM Next Opportunity Fund today announced a multi-year grant to the Massachusetts Afterschool Partnership (MAP) as part of the Million Girls Moonshot. The Intel Foundation and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation have joined STEM Next Opportunity Fund and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation to launch the Million Girls Moonshot. The effort is designed to engage 1 million school-age girls in the United States in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) learning opportunities over the next five years. The organizations will provide grant funding and in-kind resources to Mott-funded afterschool networks in all 50 states to increase access to hands-on, immersive STEM learning experiences. The first year Massachusetts grant, just awarded, is for $55,000.

Th Mass Afterschool Partnership plans to use the funds to help afterschool programs in the state provide STEM education. MAP's Million Girls Moonshot project will promote an engineering mindset in thousands of youth, including girls, underserved minorities, and boys, and will incorporate transformative programming to create more equitable and inclusive STEM programming and learning opportunities.

"The Million Girls Moonshot arrives at exactly the right time for youth in our state," said Network CEO Ardith Wieworka. "The pandemic-driven reliance on virtual learning is a reminder that STEM is the wave not just of the future, but the present as well. Afterschool programs have developed a strong track record on STEM, giving children the sleeves-rolled-up, hands-on experiences so critical to learning in this area. We plan to build on that expertise, and are deeply grateful to STEM Next, the Intel Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation for their generous support, now and over the years."

Read the full news release here.

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SOURCE Million Girls Moonshot

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