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

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The STEM Next Opportunity Fund today announced a multi-year grant to the California AfterSchool Network 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 California grant, just awarded, is for $55,000.

The California AfterSchool Network plans to use the funds to help afterschool programs in the state provide STEM education. The Network is partnering with the 16 STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) hubs funded by the California Department of Education's Expanded Learning Division to disseminate resources and connect a subset of programs in three regions of California to the resources and professional development directly. Each of the hubs will apply resources from the Million Girls Moonshot to increase equitable and inclusive approaches to STEM learning that foster curiosity and problem-solving.

"We're proud to join the Million Girls Moonshot movement, and plan to use this extraordinary opportunity to greatly increase STEM opportunities for youth in expanded learning programs in California," said Jeff Davis, Executive Director, California AfterSchool Network. "With scientists across the globe racing to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, and students and parents alike relying on computers and the Internet to learn and work, it has never been clearer how vital STEM is to our children's future."

Read the full news release here. 

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SOURCE Million Girls Moonshot