JetBlue Foundation Provides Emergency Grants to 12 STEM Organizations Severely Impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic
JetBlue (NASDAQ:JBLU) announced a series of emergency grants from the JetBlue Foundation aimed at supporting non-profits and educational programs impacted by COVID-19. These grants, targeting 12 organizations focused on aviation and STEM education, intend to mitigate financial setbacks and enhance equity in these fields. The JetBlue Foundation's initiative underscores its commitment to diversity and inclusion in STEM careers, particularly for communities of color and women. Key recipients include America on Tech, Artists For Humanity, and Aviation High School among others.
- JetBlue Foundation provides emergency grants to 12 organizations, supporting STEM education.
- The initiative targets communities traditionally underrepresented in aviation and STEM fields.
- Grants promote mentorship and technical education, addressing racial and gender disparities.
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JetBlue (NASDAQ:JBLU) today announced a round of rapid response grants from the JetBlue Foundation. The COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected funding for non-profits and education programs. To help with immediate needs, the JetBlue Foundation issued a round of emergency grants to 12 aviation and science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education grantees and partners in need of financial support to continue their critical work reaching students and communities traditionally underrepresented in these fields.
The JetBlue Foundation, founded in 2013, is independent from JetBlue and has a separate Board of Directors and an Advisory Committee both made up of JetBlue crewmembers from across the airline. These grants are provided directly from the JetBlue Foundation.
The JetBlue Foundation, the first airline foundation focused solely on supporting aviation and STEM education, invited a group of previous grantees and partners to apply. This round of grants supports education programs focused on mentorship, technical education training and social justice, with a joint goal of increasing access and awareness of STEM and aviation careers. The rapid response cycle will help organizations committed to racial and gender equity that have encountered financial setbacks in achieving their missions due to the pandemic. Considerations were given to programs providing opportunities for virtual engagement and those in need of technology resources for online and remote education.
“Race, gender and economic disparity disproportionately affect communities of color and women and girls. This became more apparent during the coronavirus pandemic,” said Ursula Hurley, president of the JetBlue Foundation. “Several of our partners’ survival was at risk due to a lack of funding. Our grantees are actively working to advance diversity, social justice and equity, especially in STEM and aviation where barriers to access already exist. If these organizations are not able to continue their work today, our industry’s future talent pipeline will be impacted. The JetBlue Foundation issued rapid response grants to help these programs survive so students’ STEM paths would not be deterred.”
The 2020/2021 rapid response grant recipients include:
- America on Tech (AOT) (New York) – AOT prepares the next generation of tech leaders and helps decrease the economic and racial wealth gap. With support from the JetBlue Foundation, AOT will provide technology programming to nearly 400 high school students, place over 100 alumni in internships and hire 24 AOT graduates as peer mentors.
- Artists For Humanity (AFH) (Boston) – AFH provides under-resourced teens with the keys to self-sufficiency through paid employment in art and design, bridging economic, racial, and social divisions. AFH will use this grant for its virtual 3D Design and Digital Media Studios to build teen’s confidence in STEM.
- Aviation High School (New York) – Aviation High School provide students with a rigorous academic and technical program, preparing them for careers in aerospace. The school will create a Saturday aviation maintenance course and hands-on learning opportunities to help students impacted by the quarantine meet their license requirements on time.
- Broward County Schools (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) – BCPS is based in South Florida, ground zero for a multitude of issues due to a changing climate. This grant will go towards climate change education for students in the Youth Climate Task Force as part of the annual Broward Youth Climate Summit.
