Bayer Fund awards 3rd grant to Puerto Rico Composta
The Bayer Fund recently awarded a $14,600 grant to nonprofit Puerto Rico Composta for the third consecutive year to continue support the “Composta Manía Project,” which educates schools in Puerto Rico’s southern region on the benefits of composting.
“We’re honored to collaborate again with Puerto Rico Composta, who inspire us to continue our mission here at Bayer. It’s a pleasure to contribute daily to Puerto Rico’s growth and achieve results that benefit the communities we serve,” said Marivier Rojas, nursery success and optimization lead at Bayer Crop Science Puerto Rico.
Currently, six schools in Puerto Rico’s southern area participate in the project’s first cycle: Luis Lloréns Torres and Luis Muñoz Marín in Juana Díaz (in virtual learning mode), Daniel Webster in Peñuelas, and Guillermo Riefkohl in Patillas. In 2023, two schools in the north of the island joined: Josefita Monserrate de Sellés in San Juan and Eugenio Brac in Naguabo.
The second cycle includes Ramón Pérez in Peñuelas, Gloria Borrero in Guayanilla, Leónides Morales in Lajas, Ramón Marín and Juan Serrallés in Ponce, Ana Valldejuly in Santa Isabel, and the PR Animals organization in Cayey.
“Currently, 13 teachers and approximately 250 students — among these six schools — are working directly with the project. The direct scope of the project may be greater, but we have established that the indirect scope will be greater,” said Tainachí Fernández-Roque, director of Puerto Rico Composta. “We will share these updated numbers in our closing activity at the end of the period covered by said project.”
As Bayer’s philanthropic arm in the U.S., the Bayer Fund aims to provide health for all and hunger for none by partnering with organizations like Puerto Rico Composta to strengthen the island’s agricultural communities, the company stated.
“Through Bayer Fund’s giving, we’re enabling and strengthening organizations that are working to make real, sustainable impacts in their local communities across the United States,” said Al Mitchell, president of Bayer Fund.
“Programs like Composta Manía by Puerto Rico Composta inspire future generations for careers in the high-demand STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) field, and we’re proud to provide our support,” he added.
In 2022, Bayer Fund awarded more than $13.4 million to more than 2,700 charitable and nonprofit organizations for food and nutrition, STEM education, and health and wellness. Since 2017, nearly $90 million has been received by nonprofit organizations across the United States and its territories.