Partners & Supporters

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Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago

Founded in 1902, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago’s mission is to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Serving nearly 20,000 youth ages five to 18, Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago works to provide members with the emotional, educational, physical, and cultural resources that allow them to enjoy their childhood and thrive in adulthood.

Science in Society has close partnerships with two Boys & Girls Club sites: Pedersen-McCormick Club in the Uptown neighborhood and True Value Club in Little Village. Science Club and Science Club Summer Camp support youth at both sites.

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Chicago Public Schools

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is truly a district on the rise. In the past five years, the district has emerged as a beacon of what is achievable for large urban school districts. Science in Society has a close partnership with CPS STEM Department, co-designing and implementing several highly impactful programs at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.

National Institutes of Health – Science Education Partnership Award

The Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) Program funds innovative pre-kindergarten to grade 12 (P–12) science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and Informal Science Education (ISE) educational projects. SEPA is sponsored by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

NIH-SEPA funds Science in Society’s Science Club Summer Camp project, a partnership between Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago, Chicago Public Schools, and Northwestern.NIH also funded development of the Science Club afterschool mentoring research project from 2009-2015.

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National Science Foundation

The National Science Foundation’s Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program seeks to advance new approaches to and evidence-based understanding of the design and development of STEM learning opportunities for the public in informal environments; provide multiple pathways for broadening access to and engagement in STEM learning experiences; advance innovative research on and assessment of STEM learning in informal environments; and engage the public of all ages in learning STEM in informal environments.

NSF currently funds a SiS research project investigating the long-term impacts of Science Club. These impacts include  (1) better understanding STEM mentoring for youth in the middle grades, (2) identifying outcomes and motivations for scientist mentors to more fully participate in mentoring programs, and (3) examining a model of middle-school-focused STEM mentoring collaboration.

Link to award abstract

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Shaw Family Supporting Organization

The Shaw Family Supporting Organization is dedicated to advancing research, education, and civic causes in the Chicagoland area.

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Lewis-Sebring Family Foundation

The Lewis-Sebring Family Foundation is a private family foundation that focuses largely on education and equity