Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands awards $70K+ in AT&T grant funding
The Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands (CFVI) announced the recipients of the 2018-2019 AT&T STEM grants.
The professionals working in
schools across the territory were competitively selected to receive awards
ranging from $1,250 to $8,500, for a total funding cycle of more than $70,000,
the nonprofit said.
Grant funds will be used to
facilitate student projects, boosting STEM exposure and education in public,
private, and parochial schools. In this fourth year of the STEM education grant
program, the number of awards has seen an increase of more than double what was
provided in 2018 due to AT&T’s philanthropic investment.
“We are so grateful for
AT&T’s ongoing support for students in the USVI, especially while facing
challenges with school schedules. As we continue building forward, this year’s
grants will empower our youth with access to STEM enrichment not only in the
public schools, but also in the Early Head Start, private, parochial, and home
school settings,” said CFVI President Dee Baecher-Brown.
Through this funding, students
across the territory in the St. Thomas/St. John and St. Croix districts have
the opportunity to learn more about the science, technology, engineering and mathematics
fields via hands-on instruction, executives said.
“Barriers like the lack of
access to information about STEM can be overcome through exemplary outreach
strategies, designed to ignite initial interest in STEM pathways,” said
Alexandra Verdiales-Costa, vice president AT&T Puerto Rico &
USVI.
“AT&T, working with the
Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands, is proud to provide a means to
bring STEM programs not only to public schools, but to expand them to Early
Head Start, private, parochial, and home school settings,” she said.
