This morning, August 12, 2020, we announced our collaboration with global healthcare company GSK to help Black, Latinx, and female Philadelphia students overcome obstacles to their pursuit of careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. GSK is committing $10 million over 10 years to the Philadelphia STEM Equity Collective which will work hand-in-hand with schools, out-of-school time providers, universities and colleges, employers, local government, and the philanthropic community using a collective impact approach to identify and close gaps confronting children from backgrounds underrepresented in STEM.
GSK will provide backbone support for the Philadelphia STEM Equity Collective by funding dedicated management staff at PEF and contributing the time and talent of pro bono GSK volunteers. In addition, GSK will support in-school programming and community efforts through annual grants of $1 million a year for 10 years to local nonprofits. Outcomes will be tracked by a system to be developed by Equal Measure.
Philadelphia Education Fund also coordinates the city’s 400-plus-member Philadelphia STEM Ecosystem. The Philadelphia STEM Equity Collective is a natural next step in this work, and PEF and GSK welcome the involvement of additional schools, community organizations and the philanthropic community.
GSK has a long history of investing philanthropic dollars in science education programs aimed at diverse and underserved audiences, most notably their 34-year-old GSK Science in the SummerTM program, which brings hands-on, free science camps into communities for thousands of US students each year.
