Stories
GRANT SPOTLIGHT: 3.14 Going Forward Fund
It’s Not Just Pi in the Sky!
Recognizing the underrepresentation of women and minorities in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields, an anonymous donor established the 3.14 Going Forward Fund at BGCF to increase opportunities for young women and minority students in Fayette County public schools to participate in STEM education, as well as in health initiatives.
Since 2018, the fund has awarded more than $100,000 to Fayette County public middle and high schools for STEM-related projects benefitting girls and minority youth.
Some projects funded during this school year include a robotics course at Frederick Douglass High School designed to engage ninth-grade female and minority students; the STEM SeaPerch Program at Tates Creek Middle School, in which sixth- through eighth-grade female students will build underwater Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV); and Lafayette High School’s “Girls in Science” afterschool program for ninth- through 12thgrade female students that features female science speakers and lab demonstrations and experiences.
STEAM Academy was also awarded funds to provide low-income female students with the needed fees to participate in STEM competitions, as well as to purchase rowing machines for the women’s conditioning class to increase physical activity of young minority women.