Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts Receives $50,000 to Fund STEM Initiative

July 31, 2012 - PRLog -- (Boston, Mass) –The American Honda Foundation (AHF) awarded Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts a $50,000 grant to support the council’s Girls Building Self-eSTeEM initiative, which is composed of both programmatic and event opportunities for girls to increase awareness, build self-esteem and become inspired to pursue higher education and future careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).    

The grant from AHF will support the two-part STEM initiative- Girls Building Self-eSTeEM focusing on:
1.   Providing STEM related activities to girls in our FaB Factor program who are from underserved communities , and
2.   Providing STEM related programming that directly relates to the Girl Scout Leadership Experience for all girls within the 178 communities Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts serves.

“When today's girls graduate from college, America will need three million more scientists and engineers.  Girl Scouts is fueling this pipeline, and programs in STEM now account for over half of all Girl Scout programs,” explains Ruth N. Bramson, CEO, Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts. “We are grateful for the generous support of the American Honda Foundation, whose grant will help us provide additional STEM programming to more girls within our footprint, so we can nurture their interest and educate them about opportunities within this field.”

AHF’s mission is to help meet the needs of American society in the areas of youth and scientific education by awarding grants to nonprofits, while strategically assisting communities in deriving long-term benefits.

“Through grant giving, the American Honda Foundation seeks to develop youth in the areas of math, science, engineering, technology and literacy,” said Alexandra Warnier, manager at American Honda Foundation. “We are proud to partner with the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts on its important contribution in this area and look forward to the impact and results that will be achieved.”

About Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts
Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts serves more than 41,000 girls ages 5-17 and engages 18,000 adult volunteers in 178 communities across Eastern Massachusetts with the mission to build girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place. FaB Factor programs serve more than 2,000 girls ages 5-17 in 22 communities in eastern Massachusetts. This early intervention and prevention initiative of Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts provides girls with free educational and social development opportunities that help them become leaders. The Girl Scouts organization has a rich history and has been the nation’s leading expert on girls for 100 years. For more information, please visit www.girlscoutseasternmass.org

About the American Honda Foundation
Established in 1984, the American Honda Foundation (AHF) makes grants to non-profit organizations that benefit the people of the United States in the areas of youth and scientific education, with a specific focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects in addition to the environment. Since its inception, more than $29 million have been awarded to organizations serving approximately 115 million people in every state in the U.S.