2020 Recipients

2020 RECIPIENTS

In 2020, the Technology Education Foundation (TEF) awarded $113,000 in grants to deserving recipients throughout Southern Wisconsin. Each recipient demonstrated their ability to provide science and/or technology for the greater good of our community. Congratulations to:

Aldo Leopold Nature Center: $7,000 to upgrade hardware and software for “Science on a Sphere” exhibit. This exhibit provides high-quality, high definition and up-to-date data from the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The exhibit is an important tool for the STEM youth educational programs offered at the Center. ALNC programs help combat educational and technological inequalities by providing subsidized nature-based school field trips and bus transportation to over 24,000 students annually. Of those students, roughly one-third (about 7,305) participate in high-tech meets high-touch programs utilizing the SOS annually.  Of these approximately half (3,579) are underserved and directly benefit from this grant.

Art + Literature Lab: $3,700 for the Digital Literacy + Creativity Initiative.  This initiative includes technology-integrated arts classes, including film and video production, digital photography, digital music composition, animation, graphic design, and more. This initiative will diversify the artworks produced in our community by increasing the number of community members accessing ALL’s free and affordable programs; meanwhile, improving teaching artist strategies for integrating technologies across arts disciplines.

Bayview Foundation Inc: $9,400 supporting the creative and arts based technology program. TEF grant money will allow Bayview youth to have equitable, consistent, and comprehensive access to contemporary technology to facilitate innovative thinking, problem-solving and creative production during their non-school hours. Bayview’s Creative Technology Program will emphasize increasing access to creative and arts-focused technology for low-income youth.

Door of Hope Ministries Inc: $6,175 for the Summer enrichment STEM program in collaboration with Maydm providing coding classes to underserved youth. This STEM program serves Madison middle school students and exposes them to career paths that they, under normal circumstances, may not be exposed to. By exposing students to STEM and giving them opportunities to explore STEM-related concepts, they will develop a passion for and hopefully pursue an education and career in a STEM field.

Goodman Community Center: $6,804 for the youth gaming and coding program.  Goodman Community Center recognizes the technological education gap, as well as the gap the technology industries face between the number of STEM available jobs and the rapidly rising demand of STEM graduates. Goodman will help 45 low-income, primarily youth of color, learn about Gaming & Coding, Robotics, Virtual Reality and Digital Art, and provide leadership and academic tools so they can see themselves in these exciting technological fields of endeavor.

Horizon High School: $2,000 to purchase additional education software to enhance reading and math literacy for the students. Horizon High School is the only recovery high school in Wisconsin, specifically for students in recovery from alcohol and drug addiction.  Horizon High School’s learning environment respects and values each student and supports him or her to achieve his or her highest goals.  Students develop life plans that establish career, academic and personal financial goals. The school is devoted to working with youth in 9-12 grades who are at risk of not graduating from high school due to their mental illness and addiction.

Lighthouse Christian School: $7,580 to fund the math curriculum computer lab. LCS’s vision includes providing well-rounded education that boosts the college-readiness of their students. This includes a technology-based curriculum. Last year, LCS piloted a web-based math program which focuses on mastery learning and allows students to work at their own pace. The pilot group advanced their standardized test scores in math by two whole grades last year. Some of the 8th grade students in the group were scoring above an 11th grade level in math by the end of the school year. The new math curriculum computer lab will allow for expanding and supporting this program.

Madison College Foundation: $6,000 for six scholarships to be used by students interested in pursuing a career in a STEM field.  Three scholarships will be offered in the Fall of 2020 and three in the Spring of 2021.  Madison College is committed to increase access so that no student is denied an education due to financial barriers.  Madison College maintains a proud history of providing affordable access to quality education, which fuels success of businesses, communities and students.

Madison Reading Project: $5,310 supporting their mission to provide high quality multilingual literacy learning reinforcement programs with free companion books to underserved children throughout greater Dane County.  The funds will be used to purchase books focused in the areas of science, technology, computers and math.

Monroe School District: $9,990 to support the districts digital lab and technology education programs. The digital lab program provides hands-on learning applications with the use of 3D-Printer, robotics and computer programming/coding.  The grant will allow for the purchase additional technology/robotic tools, hardware and software allowing for smaller technology to student ratios. The end result will move students from “learning-to-code” to more advanced “coding-to-learn” skills and applications.

Neighborhood House: $4,860 for building a technology lab. Neighborhood House Community Center has been serving individuals and families in Madison since 1916. Neighborhood House currently offers programs and services for youth, older adults, individuals with disabilities, and families. Neighborhood House also provides space for over 50 community organizations. The technology lab will provide computer stations, podcast studio, access to software including Adobe Creative Cloud and Microsoft Office, and printing capabilities. The lab will be used to lead technology classes and for general public use to be accessed by all.

Omega School: $10,000 to launch a new program supporting young women in Dane County to obtain their GED/HSED. Omega School is proud to have been providing adult basic education and GED preparation services in Dane County for over 45 years. The operating mission of Omega School is: “To give people opportunities to enhance their lives though adult basic education.” Omega School offers programs in GED instruction, Pre-GED preparation and Spanish GED instruction, all available on an accessible schedule, in a supportive informal atmosphere, working cooperatively with other agencies and institutions. Omega School’s new Dane County Outreach Initiative will begin its next phase, targeting young women in Dane County, in the Spring of 2020. Twenty students between the ages of 17-26, who are not projected to graduate High School by the beginning of summer, including those who left school long ago, will be assisted in their educational pathways through the evidence-based delivery of holistic services that support each student’s learning needs.

Simpson Street Free Press: $10,000 to support technology purchases for additional students to participate in “Science of Wisconsin’s Environment” series. The grant will allow more “wait-listed” students to enroll and expand the Science of Wisconsin’s Environment series. Students will explore Dane County and Wisconsin’s environment through a “science lens”. They will write, revise, edit and finally publish their work in the SSFP newspaper. SSFP’s 2020-21 plan includes more emphasis on science writing, increased technology training, and more grade-level math tutoring.

The First Tee of South Central WI: $5,000 supporting the math and reading remediation programs offered at their three learning centers. First Tee of SC WI currently serves192 young people. This two-hour program consists of one hour of academic curriculum through Renaissance Learning software and one hour of golf and life skills education during after-school hours. The student/teacher ratio is 3:1, and the teachers are educators and passionate mentors. The students receive the curriculum using individual iPads, and the Renaissance curriculum is customized to their individual reading and math levels. Teachers have seen impressive gains in reading and math scores by most of participants in the program.

YWCA Madison: $20,000 grant commitment to the YWCA Madison’s YWeb Career Academy. The funds are used to support enrollees in the three month, free IT bootcamp. The program continues to serve underemployed, low-income women and people of color thereby reducing the racial disparities both in the technology field as well as in economic well-being in Dane County. Upon completion of the program, students are placed in internships or full-time employment with the goal of increasing diversity within the tech field and creating family sustaining careers. YWeb academy staff work with employers to offer YWebCA participants real-life experience, industry driven skills, and networkingopportunities. Additionally, in 2020, there is an opportunity for participants to receive training to obtain a Google Certificate and learn Google’s curriculum.