Nonprofit announces $1.5 million grant to benefit Nevada STEM programs

RENO, Nev. — The SAE Foundation announced recently a four-year, $1.5 million grant to launch a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education programming initiative in Nevada schools.

The grant is part of Tesla's $37.5 million investment in Nevada's K-12 STEM and sustainability education, according to a press release from SAE International.

Tesla will work with the Warrendale, Pa.-based nonprofit to impact up to 25,000 K-8 students in Nevada by implementing SAE's "A World In Motion" (AWIM) STEM Program.

“Tesla is on the forefront of the mobility industry, advancing innovations and knowledge sharing, so we are honored to partner with Tesla to expand our popular AWIM STEM program in Nevada and inspire students across the state through hands-on learning experiences,” Lori Gatmaitan, director of the SAE Foundation, said in the release. “Hands-on STEM education is critical to building the pipeline of future engineers and innovators, and Tesla's support enables us to impact thousands of young minds to potentially pursue a career in mobility.” 

Benchmarked to national standards, SAE's AWIM program reportedly is a teacher-administered, industry volunteer-assisted program that incorporates STEM learning experiences through hands-on activities and challenges that reinforce classroom STEM learning.

SAE will serve as a liaison between Tesla and participating schools, coordinating all program activities, including teacher and volunteer training, program implementation and teacher and volunteer support throughout the program.

SAE and Tesla's collaboration also includes plans to engage Formula SAE Electric students from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and the University of Nevada, Reno through SAE's AWIM LearnTwice, a program that places university and high school students in classrooms as volunteers and mentors.

The goal of the SAE-Tesla partnership is to reach up to 5,000 students in the first year of program implementation, increasing annually to almost 8,000 students per year in year four.

Go to www.saefoundation.org to learn more about SAE Foundation.