The JetBlue Foundation Opens its Fall Granting Application Cycle to Eligible STEM & Aviation Educational Programs
October 14 2021 - 12:37PM
Business Wire
-- Focused on increasing diversity and gender
and racial parity within the aviation industry, the JetBlue
Foundation provides grants to help up-and-coming STEM programs take
off --
JetBlue (NASDAQ:JBLU) today announced the next granting cycle
from the JetBlue Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charity entity focused on
increasing diversity within the aviation industry’s talent
pipeline. Educational programs with an emphasis on science,
technology, engineering and math (STEM) and aviation may apply here
through November 1, 2021 for grants up to $50,000 each, based on
criteria, need and project scope. (a)
“Emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic is a renewed global
spotlight on the importance of science and technology,” said
Ursula Hurley, president of the JetBlue Foundation. “Despite
the ongoing uncertainty of the pandemic, the JetBlue Foundation has
continued to offer non-stop support to future aviators, including
virtual programming, mentorship and resources. This support has
directly helped several budding STEM educational programs keep
their doors open. We’re focused on empowering students, providing
access, and helping to remove barriers to entry into careers in
aviation. This, in turn, creates opportunities for a more diverse
future for our industry.”
The JetBlue Foundation is the first airline foundation focused
solely on supporting aviation and STEM education, and seeks out
programs that offer programming geared toward communities
traditionally underrepresented in these areas, including women and
girls, racial/ethnic minority groups and veterans.
The JetBlue Foundation is independent from JetBlue and has a
separate Board of Directors and an Advisory Committee, both
comprised of JetBlue crewmembers from across the airline. Grants
are provided directly from the JetBlue Foundation. Although the
JetBlue Foundation is separate from JetBlue, both are aligned in
efforts to help diversify the STEM fields that fuel the airline.
The Foundation is company-sponsored, with supplemental support
coming from select JetBlue business partners, and tax-deductible
donations directly from JetBlue crewmembers who are interested in
nurturing students’ STEM interests and inspiring the next
generation of aviation professionals.
Granting criteria
Applications will be accepted from qualified educational
organizations to sponsor STEM and/or certification programs in one
or more of the following areas of study:
- Aviation technology
- Aviation engineering
- Aviation operations
- Aviation maintenance
- Sustainable and environmental programs in aviation
These programs must serve one or more communities that are
underrepresented in aviation, including:
- Women and girls
- Underrepresented groups including but not limited to Black,
Hispanic/Latinx, or Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI)
communities
- Veterans
Supporting STEM education throughout the pandemic
As the COVID-19 pandemic affected funding for non-profits and
educational programs, last year, the JetBlue Foundation issued a
round of emergency grants to 12 aviation and STEM partners in need
of financial support to help them continue their critical work. In
2020, the JetBlue Foundation provided funding to organizations
including America on Tech (AOT) and the Lower East Side Girls
Club.
“America On Tech is a proud partner of the JetBlue Foundation.
For the past two years, the JetBlue foundation has been a critical
partner in AOT's work,” Jessica Santana, chief executive
officer, America on Tech. “Outside of providing financial
resources that help support the students in our programs learning
in-demand technology skills, they have also played a pivotal role
in helping us deploy laptops to our young people who did not have
the appropriate machines to learn in the virtual environment. AOT
is grateful for this partnership and looks forward to continuing
working with the JetBlue Foundation in the future."
"We are so grateful for the continued generous support of the
JetBlue Foundation,” Jenny Dembrow and Ebonie Simpson,
co-executive directors, Lower Eastside Girls Club. “They have
been a longstanding STEM funder and now a partner in our broader
COVID response efforts to address food insecurity. We are grateful
for their ongoing partnership and dedication to our community."
With support from JetBlue, the Foundation also helped education
partners with the switch to online learning. Beyond just grants,
JetBlue crewmembers volunteered in virtual classrooms and
programming, and the airline donated refurbished laptops to ensure
students passionate about STEM could continue their education from
home. In additional to grants, the JetBlue Foundation also provided
mentorship and in-kind support to grantees.
For more information on the JetBlue Foundation, visit
www.jetbluefoundation.org or JetBlue’s 2020 Social Impact Report,
which can be found here.
About the JetBlue Foundation
Since 2013, the JetBlue Foundation has built lasting
relationships with nearly 100 science, technology, engineering and
math (STEM), aviation-focused programs, provided grants, and
in-kind support to help these programs take off. The JetBlue
Foundation furthers JetBlue’s work to place aviation top of mind as
a future career choice for students. The JetBlue Foundation
provides financial, in-kind and mentorship support to education and
pipeline initiatives focused on STEM to ensure that even more women
and traditionally underrepresented groups are present in the
hangars, boardrooms, airports and airline corporate offices of the
future. To learn more visit jetbluefoundation.org.
About JetBlue Airways
JetBlue is New York's Hometown Airline®, and a leading carrier
in Boston, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, Los Angeles, Orlando and San
Juan. JetBlue carries customers across the U.S., Caribbean and
Latin America, and between New York and London. For more
information, visit jetblue.com.
- The JetBlue Foundation will award grants up to $50,000 each to
qualifying educational organizations (i.e. schools, educational
institutions, or educational alliances), as described under the
grant proposal criteria. Once the JetBlue Foundation has received
an organization’s completed application, the organization will
receive a confirmation email. Due to the volume of grant requests
received, the JetBlue Foundation is not able to individually reach
out or award grants to every applicant. Should an organization be
selected to receive a grant, a representative of the JetBlue
Foundation will reach out directly.
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