At YWCA Metropolitan Phoenix, we’re building just, equitable Arizona communities that embrace and celebrate each person’s inherent value. That’s why YWCA is collaborating with communities who are seeking justice, working in partnership to build a more free, more peaceful world. Together, we identify systemic racism and gender discrimination – and dismantle it.
As Arizona becomes the next tech hub, we have tremendous opportunity for our STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics) professionals to reflect the state’s workforce diversity. Addressing these gender and racial gaps will support Arizona’s economic growth by developing our next generation of STEAM innovators.
Empowered by Intel and SRP, YWCA is leading the Equity in STEAM Initiative to advance women and people of color across STEAM careers, to improve representation in STEAM statewide.
Qualifying nonprofit organizations, public schools, and charter schools are invited to apply for the Equity in STEAM Initiative to receive funding (up to $2,000!) for their STEAM projects and participate in a learning community to help further close the gender and race gaps across STEAM.
Grant Information
Nonprofits, public schools, and charter schools across Arizona may apply for this funding opportunity and participate in a YWCA learning community. Projects should be focused on enabling the following outcomes: APPLY HERE
- Exploring the world of STEAM and show how accessible, rewarding, and relevant these fields can be.
- Introducing culturally relevant STEAM activities.
- Growing interest in STEAM-related learning pathways and careers.
Interested in empowering this coalition? Contact [email protected] to learn more about how to partner with us to shrink the race and gender gaps in STEAM education and employment.
Current & Previous Cohorts
arizona Kids Think Too
The BOLTS Program engages K-8 youth in STEM learning through hands-on activities like engineering balloon-powered cars and building mock playground structures, while teaching the importance of science and chemical reactions. With weekly lessons, the program encourages students to think about their future aspirations and how they can contribute to their communities.
INVENTION CONVENTION ARIZONA
Invention Convention AZ provides a free, accessible STEMIE education program that empowers young innovators, particularly underrepresented groups, to create solutions to real-world problems. With its commitment to inclusivity, the program offers diverse pathways for participation, including virtual platforms to eliminate transportation barriers, and fosters critical skills like empathy, creativity, and problem-solving among students.
arizona students recycling used technology
AZ StRUT’s Techie Women Power Up Lab provides four 12-hour sessions to 30-35 primarily minority women, offering hands-on training in computer hardware, operating systems, and IT fundamentals. The program addresses barriers like affordability and accessibility, while also connecting participants to further education and training opportunities, with each woman receiving a refurbished computer upon completion.
asu Preparatory academy south phoenix high school
The “Programming for Virtual Reality” project at ASU Prep South Phoenix allows students to collaborate with teachers in creating immersive educational experiences like VR science labs and interactive Shakespeare scenes. This program enhances academic content while teaching valuable skills in programming, creative design, and teamwork, preparing students for careers in STEAM fields.
AZ(LAND) NONPROFIT
The AZ(LAND) Fund will collaborate with K-12 teachers in South and West Phoenix to implement curricula focused on environmental justice and sustainability. Teachers will participate in workshops to learn research tools and future visioning methods, working alongside community organizations and experts to address local climate issues like air quality and greenspace access, with students creating designs and solutions. The project will culminate in an exhibition showcasing student work, and the creation of an open-access database of educational resources for educators in the community.
CODING IN COLOR
The ‘Day of Compute,’ hosted by Coding in Color and Phoenix College, introduces 150 Arizona high school students to computer science and technology through hands-on workshops in AI, web development, robotics, and more, led by professionals from major companies. Aligned with Computer Science Education Week and focused on underserved communities, this event empowers students to explore tech careers, gain technical skills, and envision future pathways in STEAM fields, contributing to a more diverse and inclusive tech pipeline in Arizona.
COLLEGE BOUND AZ
The RISE Scholars Program at EVIT is a transformative college access initiative that supports low-income high school seniors across Arizona, guiding them through the college application process and providing financial and academic resources to help them achieve their higher education goals. Offering workshops, mentorship, and essential supports like laptops, gas cards, and a food pantry, RISE removes barriers to success and empowers students to break the cycle of poverty, laying the foundation for a brighter future and a generation of leaders.
COMMUNITY EDUCATIONAL SERVICES INC.
Community Educational Services’ GAP Academy offers Saturday tutoring for low-income girls in grades K-8, focusing on STEAM subjects to address learning loss from COVID and enhance academic performance. With state-certified teachers and a fun, structured environment at South Mountain Community College, the program aims to improve students’ skills in science, technology, math, and English, with a goal of increasing grade-level performance for at least 70 students.
CULTURAL COALITION, INC
Cultural Coalition’s After School S.T.E.A.M. Program serves over 100 youth in Mesa’s Rancho del Arte & Del Sol housing complex, providing arts and science activities that integrate cultural heritage and STEM subjects like robotics, engineering, and botany. By partnering with local Latiné and BIPOC artists and professionals, the program fosters creativity, problem-solving, and career exploration while improving access to educational opportunities for underserved youth, many of whom experience food insecurity.
FUTURE FOR KIDS
Future for KIDS’ Discover Your Future program offers a weekly, two-hour, out-of-school experience for youth ages 8-12, focusing on STEAM challenges, social-emotional learning, and physical activities to build academic confidence and interpersonal skills. The program includes a mobile STEAM Lab, guest speakers, and a dedicated STEAM Outreach Coordinator to inspire and prepare underserved youth for success in STEM fields.
FUTURE STARS, INC
Future Stars, Inc. hosts the Annual Hands-On STEM Fair in South Phoenix, where students from the Hands-On Workshop Program plan and lead activities, engaging attendees in hands-on STEM learning with support from tech companies. The free event, which includes 20 interactive stations, competitions, and community participation, has become a local tradition, attracting over 2,000 attendees and 700 volunteers since its inception in 2015.
HERITAGE SQUARE FOUNDATION
The Teen STEM Café @ The Square offers a free, hands-on learning experience for teens to engage with STEM professionals through interactive gatherings that explore cutting-edge topics and potential careers. The program fosters curiosity, critical thinking, and leadership skills, while emphasizing inclusivity, community connection, and the historical context of STEM topics.
IN THE FIELD & STEAM SNEAKERHEADZ
The STEAM Sneaker Art Workshop combines science, art, and community engagement, where participants design custom sneakers while learning about the chemistry of materials like polymers and dyes. The event includes hands-on learning, sustainability discussions, and career-focused presentations, along with take-home SEL coloring books and STEAM gardening kits, fostering a love for STEAM and building a pipeline for advanced programming.
ISAAC SCHOOL DISTRICT
The Isaac School District will engage students in a research project on becoming an American citizen, working with a Citizenship Lawyer to facilitate workshops for students, parents, and community members. Through the Future Teachers Student Club and Parent Liaisons, students will teach parents, especially single moms, about the citizenship process, running workshops throughout the school year and summer.
KYRENE TRADITIONAL ACADEMY
Kyrene Traditional Academy is hosting a STEM Kids Conference for Girls in grades 3-8, offering an engaging, age-tailored experience with keynote speakers, interactive sessions, and a special luncheon. This conference, supported by community partners like CORE Construction and Intel, will empower girls in STEM through hands-on activities, educational sessions, and personalized swag bags, with funding for materials, honorariums for presenters, and fun items for participants.
LET’S GO COMPOST
Let’s Go Compost’s K-12 STEAM Classroom Composting program integrates composting practices into curricula to enhance environmental literacy and teach waste reduction and recycling. By providing materials, lesson plans, and collaborative resources, the initiative empowers students and school communities to reduce landfill waste, foster sustainability, and inspire the next generation of environmentally conscious citizens.
LIGHTS CAMERA DISCOVER
Lights Camera Discover (LCD) empowers underserved youth by providing free access to STEAM education through filmmaking, digital arts, and animation, equipping students with technical and marketable skills for future careers. Committed to social equity, LCD breaks down systemic barriers with hands-on training, workforce development, and mentorship, preparing marginalized youth to succeed in STEAM industries and beyond.
MAT BEVEL COMPANY
The Mat Bevel Company’s The Universe Within program will expand its STEAM curriculum with advanced technical elements like coding, robotics, and 3D printing to enhance student learning and career readiness. With hands-on activities, guest speakers, and expert guidance, the program will engage 50 students, improve technology literacy, and inspire future success in STEAM careers.
SOCIETY OF WOMEN ENGINEERS
The Society of Women Engineers at Grand Canyon University is hosting an all-day STEAM workshop in March 2025 for middle and high school girls, featuring hands-on activities like website building, LED circuit design, and coding. The event includes mentorship, project presentations, and a Q&A panel with university students, aiming to build confidence, skills, and interest in STEAM careers.
THE SAGRADO GALLERIA
The Sagrado Galleria will host a youth workshop in South Phoenix to educate students (ages 12-18) about air quality and inspire them to integrate their cultural histories into creative and tech-focused careers. Guided by Indigenous and Latino/a artists, students will create visual poetry and narratives to be showcased at The Sagrado and future community events.
AGUILA YOUTH LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
Young women participating in AGUILA ALMA will have the opportunity to explore all facets of the Beauty Industry from conception, development, marketing, purchasing and more. Students will pair up in groups with assigned tasks, perform research, develop a presentation that will be presented to the entire group of both young women and men. This project will incorporate research with knowledge of beauty products with a focus on ingredients and potential hazards; marketing that includes subliminal messages and potential issues in mental well-being; consumerism and the “business of beauty”.
arizona Kids Think Too
We specifically target both genders for this program that have an interest in technology, engineering, and or science. The B.O.L.T.S. Program is intentionally designed to stay up-to-date with 21st century workforce trends and engages youth in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and the arts with structured hands-on activities. The program touches on life skills, critical thinking skills, and problem solving skills which make an impact on students. Program participants not only become more interested and engaged in STEAM learning, they develop tangible STEAM skills.
arizona students recycling used technology
Women are underrepresented in the technology field and careers. AZ StRUT’s Techie Women Power Up project seeks to change that. Led by two female instructors/coaches, Techie Women Power Up is a hands-on lab/classroom computer training experience. Women changing or returning to work grow their skills and confidence in technology related career pathways such as entry-level IT support. At the end of the program, all Techie Women completing the Lab earn a refurbished computer to take home.
AZ Cyber Initiative
Cyber is a male-dominated field and although more women are pursuing careers in cyber, AZ Cyber Initiative would like to speed up the shift to a more equitable IT and Cyber workforce. AZ Cyber has in several ways made an effort to create a more inclusive space through hiring practices and program participation. The CyberSpark program will offer the very needed representation and near-peer support for young women in high school who are interested in pursuing cyber or IT-related careers.
AZ(LAND) NONPROFIT
We will work in partnership with K-12th grade teachers in South and west Phoenix to support the implementation of curriculum that centers environmental justice. Our project will create an open-access database of educational resources that can be used by educators and practitioners in South and west Phoenix for capacity building. Secondly, our project will provide training to participating teachers and facilitating partnerships and networking between educators and community organizations to support youth-centric urban design. Thirdly, our work will empower youth in creating a repository of urban designs and narratives of desirable futures and sharing their visions with community partners.
BUTTERFIELD ELEM SCHOOL
Introducing girls to coding and engineering at a young age will give them equal opportunities to pursue and thrive in STEM careers later on in their lives which helps narrow the gender gap, enhances women’s economic security and ensures a diverse and talented STEM workforce. From 3D CAD modeling to game-based coding, girls will improve knowledge and skills in programming and computer science. Our club will help kids develop their problem-solving skills, increase motivation, and improve their attention to detail and level of focus. With engaging computer activities, your child will nurture the skills they’ll need for a successful STEM future.
CARTWRIGHT SCHOOL DISTRICT
Cartwright recognizes that we have limited District funding to offer overnight excursions, as our enrollment per grade level for our middle school scholars is about 1500 students per grade level. This grant will cover the cost for 35 female Cartwright 8th grade scholars to attend an overnight Phoenix Zoo Camp experience. An overnight field trip, relating to a STEM career of interest, is an impactful and meaningful experience that students in wealthier districts have the opportunity to participate in. After the field trip experience, we would continue to support the cohort of attendees through an invitation to continue their learning and leadership in STEM by mentoring younger scholars at their school site that are also interested in STEM.
COLLEGE BOUND AZ
The RISE Scholars Program project at EVIT, which serves 11 school districts in Arizona, is a high school college access initiative operating from August to May each academic year, designed for low-income high school seniors. Students join RISE in the fall of their senior year, and we facilitate a smooth transition to post-secondary education, often with full tuition funding. A key component of our program involves conducting biweekly workshops throughout the academic year. These workshops guide students through the intricate processes of completing college applications and essays, navigating financial aid applications such as FAFSA, accepting college offers, and successfully matriculating to college within set deadlines.
CULTURAL COALITION, INC
Cultural Coalition’s After School Arts Program serves over 100 youth, ages 6 to 17, whose families are residents at the Rancho del Arte & Del Sol low-income housing complex, and the youth in its surrounding neighborhoods in Mesa, AZ.
The Mariachi STEAM AZ program at our after school arts program provides access to arts and science resources for youth in underserved, marginalized, and low-income communities. It combines sharing the cultural heritage and tradition of mariachi music with S.T.E.A.M. technology activities of engineering and robotics to a predominantly Latiné and BIPOC low-income housing community and its surrounding neighborhoods.
DESERT SOUL MEDIA, INC
This training is designed for youth ages 12 to 18 interested in becoming producers of short-form content for radio broadcast or audio podcasting, such as promos, public service announcements, interviews, and news pieces. This course covers the skills needed to record, edit, mix, and normalize audio pieces for broadcast or audio podcasting and includes an introduction to industry standard equipment, software, and terminology. Additional skills students will learn
are the design process, self-awareness, time management, articulation, information literacy and teamwork.
EDUCATION EMPOWERS INC
Virtual STEAM career exploration programs will be held all year around to enrich learning opportunities for youth, especially, girls, from rural areas and native communities to explore STEAM career opportunities and connect with industry mentors. Example virtual events will include: ‘Meet an engineer’ to meet professionals with diverse backgrounds and learn about STEAM career opportunities in various fields. This program will build next generation pipeline of about 100 STEAM Ambassadors with more than half being girls.
FUTURE FOR KIDS
Discover Your Future’s free, holistic mentor-driven curriculum gives youth hands-on opportunities to reinforce and/or supplement science concepts they are learning in school. Group mentorship promotes social cohesion, mutual support, and the formation of a group identity, offering a wider range of social-emotional development than individual mentoring. The program held once a week over 26 weeks during the school year. The STEAM segment is enhanced by our STEAM Lab, a mobile unit launched in 2022 that brings additional STEAM activities to the youth participants at Discover Your Future program sites.
FUTURE STARS, INC
The Annual Hands-On STEM Fair, hosted annually in April at the Faye Gray Recreation Center in South Phoenix, is fully planned by students who have completed the eight-month Hands-On Workshop Program. The four-hour event is hosted at Faye Gray and celebrates student accomplishments with 15-20 tables of activities stewarded by the students. Each participant receives a passport with squares that gets marked off at each table they visit. The free Hands-On STEM fair in South Phoenix is the only annual STEM event in the community, engaging more than 1,600 attendees and almost 500 volunteers since 2016.
KYRENE TRADITIONAL ACADEMY
Our project continues to expand what we are doing and have been successful with, but with a clear and laser focus on girls and young women. We will schedule and invite female students to grade specific after school events where they will engage with teachers and community partners for 2 hours, learning and experimenting and designing solutions to complex issues. We plan for afterschool events in grade bands of K/1, 2/3, 4/5 and 6-8. Each will have 20-25 girls. So our project will target 100 girls and young women.
LIGHTS CAMERA DISCOVER
Lights Camera Discover aims to educate and empower youth in entrepreneurship with the use of technology. Our vision is that all youth enrolled in our program become successful entrepreneurs and successfully employed. The entrepreneurial workforce readiness program is designed to enhance youth’s knowledge, ability, and skills to motivate them and turn their dreams into reality. During the program, we engage business leaders and educators to provide academically rigorous work-based learning while promoting soft skills needed for employment and advancement in a professional career.
MAT BEVEL COMPANY
The Universe Within has been developed by Mat Bevel Company in conjunction with the University of Arizona School of Mathematical Sciences and Patagonia Elementary School since 2018. Lessons align with Science, Math, Engineering, Theater Arts, Visual Arts, and English Language Arts state standards. The Universe Within is inspired by our President’s world of Beveldom, a framework developed over 35 years that includes his Surrealistic Pop Science Theater, the Museum Of Kinetic Art and his lifelong creative practices called Available Resource Technology, or A.R.T.
MO-ENERGEE YOUTH FOUNDATION
Mo-Energee has offered Kindergarten and first grade programs and provided STEM workout books. Those programs used Legos to build projects. There was no distinction between participants; all were eligible and include both boys and girls of all races and ethnicities. The aim was to get the students interested in the programs early in their education journey. Additional workshops were offered at the end of each sponsored basketball and volleyball league game. STEAM workshops are also provided to the Valley Heat Volleyball Club, with participants ranging between 10-18 years of age.
RISING YOUTH THEATRE
Rising Youth Theatre is a youth leadership organization that uses theatre to position young people in advocacy spaces. The diverse young people in our ensemble not only inform the way we operate, they are central to our decision making process and organizational structure. Young people deserve to see themselves in leadership and decision making spaces. We are committed to diverse, inclusive, reflective representation at every level – on our board, with our staff, in our artistic teams, in our budgeting process and with our youth leaders and collaborators.
SCIENCE VORTEX
This project would allow the Science Vortex’s director to travel to Cottonwood, Camp Verde, Sedona, and Clarkdale to offer five STEAM workshops at each library. The series would be different for each site depending on prior classes offered there and the population. The lessons would be highly engaging, hands-on activities that result in something that participants can take home with them. The Science Vortex has access to Makey-Makeys, Microbits, and Makerspace materials, so the funding would go mostly towards labor costs for quality instruction and marketing.
TONATIERRA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE
Tititl is the annual youth gathering of our coalition of families on our ceremonial land out in the city of Maricopa. Usually taking place on President’s Day weekend, Tititl centers youth activities for all ages. Over the course of the weekend, the program will include interdisciplinary approaches to STEAM, including, but not limited to, linguistics, arts, and technology.
By sharing Nahuatl and other indigenous languages and linguistics with students, the relationship and origins of world languages help us realize how interconnected we are in the languages we use today.
VESSELS OF POSSIBILITIES, INC
Our STEAM/STEM Robotics project consists of the procurement of robots, robot activity kits, laptops for youth to code and program the robot missions in preparation for the annual statewide competition. Youth meet every Saturday for 2-3 hours. These sessions provide a safe location for youth to learn STEAM activities, research real world problems and develop innovative solutions and prototypes. We provide leadership skills and youth participate in oral presentations to improve their presenting skills for the competition judges.
AGUILA YOUTH LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
We currently have career paths for Attorneys, Teachers, School Administrations, and we plan to restart our engineer career path. We will hold 3 sessions with an alumni engineer who will teach students what that career pathway looks like and will also include different guest speakers to talk about the different type of engineers (Electrical, Civil, and Mechanical). Our goal this year is also to plan a trip with those students to an engineering site so that our students can actually see what a daily job for an engineer looks like.
ARIZONA ALLIANCE OF BLACK SCHOOL EDUCATORS
The STEAM Cultural Enrichment AZ program is designed so that students receive instruction directly from engineers, and other STEAM professionals. This provides them with mentorship, authentic learning experiences, and allows them to connect classroom learning with real life. Additionally, teachers and/or teacher candidates work in collaboration with STEAM instructors to bring new ideas back to their schools and classrooms. The students learn about different professions through hands-on experiences.
arizona Kids Think Too
The Building Our Leaders Through S.T.E.A.M. Program is designed to emphasize life skills, social relations, service learning and intentionally designed to stay up-to-date with 21st century workforce trends. The B.O.L.T.S. Program engages and stimulates youth in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and more recently, the arts. The program entails sequenced, explicit leadership activities in addition to a content focus area (e.g. science, technology, engineering, mathematics and art).
arizona students recycling used technology
Women are underrepresented in the technology field and careers. AZ StRUT’s Techie Women Power Up project seeks to change that. Led by two female instructors/coaches, Techie Women Power Up is a hands-on lab/classroom computer training experience. Women changing or returning to work grow their skills and confidence in technology related career pathways such as entry-level IT support. At the end of the program, all Techie Women completing the Lab earn a refurbished computer to take home.
Arizona Sustainability alliance
Food Tech for the Future (FTF) is an innovative program that addresses both the lack of healthy food and STEM education for K-12 students in the Phoenix Metro Area by bringing food computers-digitized tabletop hydroponic greenhouses- to low-income and Title I schools. This program introduces students in minoritized communities to programs that may not have been previously accessible, offering them insight into new career paths and educational fields.
Friends of the Avondale Public Libraries
Our project’s focus is to provide STEAM equipment and experiences for all APL patrons. The Sam Garcia Library is a true community hub. Anecdotal evidence shows that STEAM is not only important to this community, but also the experience they are craving. STEAM programs are well attended and requested. This grant would allow for the purchase of robotics & coding equipment that will enhance these programs, creating a lasting impact.
Casteel High School
The STEAM 7th/8th grade classes are less than five years old at Casteel High School and still gathering resources. The goal of this project is to purchase Sphero’s Little Bits kits for the classroom, so that students can experience various aspects of STEAM, including programming, engineering/innovating new machines, and calculating mathematical concepts of machinery.
Chinle Planting Hope, INC.
Despite the best efforts of Chinle educators, the children of this community experience significant educational challenges. A recent Arizona State Educational Report reveals that 67% of Chinle’s third graders and 89% of high schoolers lack reading proficiency. CPH is addressing this gap in community services through our youth empowerment programming including a bookmobile with STEAM games and activities as well as learning opportunities that preserve Navajo cultural traditions.
Cultural Coalition, Inc
Cultural Coalition works with youth mariachis from around the Valley, featuring them as performers at festivals in Mesa, Tempe, and Phoenix. Combined with volunteers from the Intel Latinx Group Chapter or ASU’s student chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, we hope to launch a pilot version of Romanna Flores’s Mariachi STEAM camp at the Rancho del Arte school during the summer of 2023.
EDUCATION EMPOWERS INC
Our project proposal is to leverage technology to host virtual STEAM career exploration events virtually throughout the academic year. Being able to do so via technology has been a conduit to providing greater social equity to the youth/teens we serve. Example virtual events will include: ‘Meet an Engineer/ Technician Day’ to learn about STEM career opportunities.
FAITH MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH
Our robotics program involves training and educating youth in STEAM to participate in the First LEGO League Robotic annual statewide competition each year and to be able to place in the competition. We inspire youth to learn how to build the various missions each year, train them on coding and programming the robots, the importance of the Core Values and working together as a team to ensure inclusive, problem-solving and critical thinking techniques.
Future For Kids
Discover Your Future helps at-risk youth engage in holistic learning and develop healthy outlets. Dedicated volunteer mentors lead small groups of youth through a fun, yet challenging, high-impact curriculum. In a typical day, participants may engage in a discussion on what it means to be responsible, play a game of 4-Square, and then complete a challenge to build paper towers. In addition, Future for KIDS arranges for guest speakers, particularly in growing fields and fields in which our program participants are underrepresented, to visit program sites to share information about their work and career path, inspiring our young participants to “discover their future.”
Future stars
The Annual STEM Fair is planned by students who have completed the nine-month Hands-On Workshop Program. The four-hour event is hosted both inside and outside at Faye Gray and celebrates student accomplishments with 15-20 tables of activities stewarded by the students. Each participant receives a passport with squares that gets marked off at each table they visit. Participants that complete the passport are entered to win a host of STEM-related raffle prizes. Fair highlights over the years have included ongoing participation from the J.W. Robinson United Black Firefighter Society, Intel, Colins Aerospace and host of other great techs in the valley.
KYRENE DE LA ESTRELLA
Currently our school doesn’t have any STEAM opportunities for our students due to lack of funding, materials or staff that would be able to support this type of project. Our idea is to purchase STEM bins and materials needed for Makerspaces that contain common use items that lend themselves to open-ended explorations. These materials would encourage students to apply Engineering Design Process and solve everyday problems.
LIGHTS CAMERA DISCOVER
Lights Camera Discover specifically works to bring social equity and STEAM engagement to children living in poverty. We work with youth living in four Phoenix public housing sites in central Phoenix: Luke Krohn, Sidney P. Osborn, Aeterra, and Mathew Henson. We begin our program by teaching basic business skills such as management, accounting, and marketing. Participants are then trained in screenwriting, acting, filmmaking, photography, graphic design, videography, and social media. They are given opportunities to grow confidence, build self-esteem, and learn teamwork.
MO-ENERGee Youth Foundation, inc
Our major project goal is to provide STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) based education to the underprivileged youth attending our target schools. The services provided will include the materials needed to instruct the participants, and will allow for the provision of instructions and projects that allow the student participants to move at their own pace. MoEnergee Youth Foundation plans to provide culturally relevant STEAM activities and programs to our targeted youth in ordered to stimulate an interest in STEAM related career pathways.
Phoenix Elementary School District
The district STEAM Lending Library allows teachers access to high quality STEAM materials and lesson plans on a first-come, first-serve basis. Teachers are able to “check out” materials when convenient and accessible to them. This grant will allow us to expand our library with new materials.
Rising Youth Theatre
Rising Youth Theatre’s Arts at Work Apprentice Program is a workforce development program that creates paid opportunities for young people to thrive as leaders. The program uses the arts – specifically theatre, storytelling, and digital media – to build a wide range of skills that young people need to become successful leaders and members of the workforce.
Si Se Puede Foundation
Si Se Puede Foundation offers free robotics programs, one of which is Da Geese of Freedom, a Junior-High, all-girl, mostly minority robotics team that was just started in September. Most of the members and mentors of this team are new to robotics and are still undergoing a steep learning curve. All three of the robotics programs teach important life skills like problem solving, teamwork, leadership, confidence, and more.
Sounds Of Autism
Sounds of Autism works to integrate families and children with autism and other at-risk special needs into society through PRO-ACTIVE education, awareness, training, and accountability. We are planning to work with both Aqua Fria High School District and the Litchfield School District to provide STEAM programming to the underserved Autistic/at risk populations as well as their typical peers through the creation of their own robotics programs.
Vessels of Possibilities
The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Jr. Links Club – Motivated Vessels of Possibilities (MVP) South Phoenix Chapter will help individuals understand that STEAM is for everyone. Participants will receive hands-on instruction, guidance, and mentoring.
Each grantee received:
- $2,500 to support a new/continuing project to inspire underrepresented students to consider STEAM careers
- YWCA Equity Leadership Learning series which includes four Equity Workshops that allowed the grantees to explore tangible ways in which they can embed social equity into their STEAM work
arizona alliance of black school educators
AzABSE is working towards enhancing the quality of education in Arizona and closing the academic achievement gap. Their aim is to make sure that every child receives equitable education opportunities and achieves their fullest potential.
arizona college preparatory high school
The students enrolled in the VEX-Robotics program build Robots for VEX EDR competitions every year. The students spend time after school with their teammates gaining skills in building, coding, testing, and driving their robot according to the game rules and challenge.
arizona educational foundation
Arizona Educational Foundation’s program teachSTEM prepares middle and high school students to pursue post-secondary degrees in STEM-related fields, including education degrees that would allow them to become future STEM teachers.
arizona students recycling used technology
Women are underrepresented in the technology field and careers. AZ StRUT’s Techie Women Power Up project seeks to change that. Lead by two female instructors/coaches, Techie Women Power Up is a hands-on lab/classroom computer training experience.
Arizona Sustainability alliance
Food Tech for the Future (FTF) is an innovative program that addresses both the lack of healthy food and STEM education for K-12 students in the Phoenix Metro Area by bringing food computer digitized tabletop hydroponic greenhouses to low-income and Title I schools
arizona town hall
Youth will participate in a presentation designed to illuminate for Arizona Town Hall participants and board members the importance of power-sharing for meaningful engagement of youth and other marginalized groups.
basha High School
Basha High school is aiming at empowering women through coding. Through DevOps -CTSO they want to spread awareness about computer science (and related fields) education, create digital awareness and empower the community through knowledge.
Biltmore Preparatory academy
Biltmore Preparatory Academy is a Spanish Immersion, kindergarten through eighth grade school. Adding in opportunities and resources such as blocks and building materials, simple machines, and robotics will enhance the accessibility and learning opportunities for all students.
Boundless Brilliance
This grant will to increase organizational capacity, allowing more interactive & hands-on supplemental STEM educational services to students in Arizona. The project will target elementary students, particularly girls of color, who primarily attend Title I schools serving low-income communities.
Cholla Middle School
The project involves a semester of activities starting with engineering projects from different fields. Once students have gone through the different projects, students will take time to find and research an engineer with similarities to themselves in a field that most interests them through a type of mirror research project.
Education Empowers Inc
We help create after-school STEM clubs, Robotics clubs, Coding clubs, Drone clubs, Maker clubs, virtual robotics, coding & First Lego League / VEX robotics teams to promote year around STEM education for girls across Arizona.
Future For Kids
Discover Your Future helps at-risk youth engage in holistic learning and develop healthy outlets. The program meets once weekly for two-hour sessions for a total duration of 26 weeks each school year. Dedicated volunteer mentors lead small groups of youth through a fun, yet challenging, high-impact curriculum.
Future stars
7th Annual Hands-On STEM Fair is a fully planned event from students who have completed the eight-month Hands-On Workshop Program. The four-hour event celebrates student accomplishments with 15-20 tables of activities stewarded by the students
Girls innovation academy
STEAMpowered for the Present and Future plans to invite and include experts in the field to mentor, guide, facilitate, teach, support STEAM project-based teaching and learning, and gain access to professional development opportunities to further develop skills.
kyrene traditional acadEmy
I STEAM Ahead will help students learn the foundations of STEAM, collaborate with teams, expose them to technology and machines, and walk away with empowering knowledge. At the end of our program, students will unite all that they have learned to create their own project.
Lights camera discover
Lights Camera Discover Entrepreneurial Workforce Readiness Program is designed to enhance youth’s knowledge, ability, and skills to motivate them and turn their dreams into reality. Our youth will participate in 24 week program that includes training, internships, and courses that focus on business development, problem solving, digital skills, and exploring one’s own passions.
live love
Live Love STEAMy Summer Fun would include partnering with women STEAM leaders in our community through job shadowing and science field trips, guest speakers in related STEAM fields, science toys and resources.
red mountain high school computer science
We intend to involve as many girls in our Robotics project as possible through our outreach at multiple levels. Our students will be provided with VEX robot kits and curriculum to support the first ever all-female VEX Robotics Team
saguaro high school
Sisters in STEM shows young girls the opportunity to see the benefits that STEM could provide for them. Our initiatives support these goals as they provide hands-on experiments participants can do both in-person and online in their own homes in live Zoom sessions utilizing common and inexpensive materials or household items
southern arizona research, science and engineering foundation
SARSEF works towards engaging underrepresented, low-income student populations in the fields of STEM. SARSEF plans to make all programs and services bilingual by involving bilingual staff, volunteers, translating materials, and adapting materials for cultural appropriateness.
There are many ways to get involved with YWCA Metropolitan Phoenix
Your voice matters as we stand up for social justice, help families and strengthen communities. Whether you have time, talents, or treasures to contribute, learn how you can plug in to the YWCA community.