Overview
Over the last 3 decades, we have developed and implemented evidence-informed programs that aim to improve student and early career academic and social experiences to attract, retain, and graduate more students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and related areas and the STEM workforce. The NextGen STEM Pathways Foundation was created to provide a platform for supporting these programs.
In order for these programs to continue, support from individuals, industry, nonprofits, and government is needed in order to increase access and success of the next generation of scientists and innovators.
You have many options for supporting these programs. These options and Areas of Need are described below.
How do I donate?
There are several ways of giving to our programs. These include donating online now and non-online gifts such as stock gifts, estate planning, matching gifts, mail-in checks, real estate gifts, endowments, corporate and foundation giving, and in-kind gifts including equipment, facilities, and volunteering. Detailed instructions on how to donate are available at Ways to Give Online and Other Ways to Give or Contribute, respectively.
Areas of Need
1. Greater Alabama Black Belt Region STEM Alliance Gift
Annual giving and endowments for the Black Belt STEM Initiative support programs and activities designed to increase academic achievement and college readiness in the Greater Alabama Black Belt Region (GABBR) middle and high schools. These programs include 5-week non-residential Summer STEM Academies (Grades 7-10) held at a High School, residential 1-week Summer STEM Academy (Grade 11) and 3-4 week Summer Bridge (incoming freshmen) held on campus or virtually, academic year mentoring and tutoring, ACT prep, academic hands-on enrichment activities, field trips, and community STEM festivals and events.
2. SPARK STEM Institute Gift
The Mentoring Bridge Model, housed in SPARK STEM Institute, aims to increase access and success of students in STEM disciplines and prepare them for STEM workforce. In particular, the program recruits promising students and supports them academically and socially through peer-to-peer, faculty, and alumni mentoring to ensure that they succeed in college and in the STEM workforce. Annual giving and endowments for the Mentoring Bridge Model provide funds to support retention programming that enables participants to actively participate in year-round retention activities, and also support faculty mentors, staff, assessment, research, and evaluation of the programs.
3. TAPDINTO-STEM Program Gift
TAPDINTO-STEM aims to increase the quantity of students with disabilities who complete associate, baccalaureate, and graduate degrees in STEM, and enter and remain in the STEM workforce. Annual giving and endowments for TAPDINTO-STEM will support mentoring, internships, fellowships, research experiences in STEM, social science research, conferences, graduate fairs, professional development at capacity building institutes, consulting, student organizations, evaluation, and high school academic enrichment activities. Donors may opt to designate their support for a specific Hub and activity. Donors can also make donations for TAPDINTO-STEM scholarships by donating to NextGen STEM Scholars Gift and specifying that it is for students with disabilities and indicating a specific Hub. All scholars are required to participate in the Mentoring Bridge Model.
4. NextGen STEM Scholars Gift
Annual giving and endowments to NextGen STEM Scholars Gift provide funds that support students (NextGen STEM Scholars) by providing them renewable scholarships for up to four years and opportunities for internships and research experiences as undergraduates. Scholars are required to participate in the Mentoring Bridge Model and to maintain a cumulative 3.0 GPA, and they serve as role models and ambassadors on campus. NextGen STEM Scholarships are portable in the sense that students keep the scholarship when they change majors, colleges, or universities, so long they remain in a STEM discipline and are in good standing.
5. Masamu Institute Gift
The Masamu Institute—formally known as the Masamu Institute for Research, Training, and Advanced Studies (MIRTAS or simply the Masamu Institute)—is an independent, high-impact organization dedicated to elevating human infrastructure and enhancing research collaboration in the mathematical sciences and related areas within Southern Africa Mathematical Sciences Association (SAMSA) and US institutions and beyond through the U.S. Africa Collaborative Research Network (CRN) and the annual 10-day Masamu Advanced Study Institute (MASI). Gifts support participation in institutes, conferences, workshops, symposia, colloquia, research exchanges, and Kovalevskaia Research Grants for young female mathematicians from sub-Saharan Africa.
6. General Foundation Support Fund Gift
Covers administration costs. And upon recommendations from the Board of Directors, the Foundation through its SPARK STEM Institute will implement special projects, initiatives, and programs to test innovative research-based models before scaling up the activities. Gifts to the General Foundation Support Fund will enable us to fund such activities and support other areas of critical need.
Giving Levels
Members of Societies are honored and recognized during the annual Fall banquet.
1. Visionary Circle: $100,000 or more.
2. Founders Society: $50,000 or more.
3. Leadership Society: $25,000 or more.
4. SPARK Society acknowledges cumulative gifts of $15,000 or more.
5. Investor Society recognizes individuals that have made gifts of $1,000 or more annually; and $500 or more annually for young individuals who have graduated in the past 5 years. Members of the Investor Society have the opportunity to talk to students and early career professionals, in person or remotely, and mentor them throughout the year.