Pledges Grants For Organizations That Power STEM Initiatives

As part of its 16th anniversary celebration of service to Puerto Rico, the JetBlue Foundation has pledged $100,000 worth of grants to STEM education programs on the island. JetBlue has offered service to Puerto Rico since 2002 and last year initiated 100x35JetBlue, a hurricane recovery and relief initiative. The airline currently serves three destinations in Puerto Rico including its San Juan focus city where JetBlue is the largest carrier, as well as Aguadilla and Ponce.

Grants from the JetBlue Foundation will help further the airline’s efforts to invest in the island’s future and place aviation fields top-of-mind as career choices for students. The JetBlue Foundation will award $100,000 to qualified schools and organizations to fuel learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

“As JetBlue approaches 16 years of service in Puerto Rico, we are celebrating this milestone with the community and fueling STEM initiatives that are positioning Puerto Rico for a brighter future,” said Joanna Geraghty, president, JetBlue Foundation. “Puerto Rico has worked hard to overcome damage from last year’s hurricane. This is one way we’re investing in the island and advancing technology, learning and innovation.”

The JetBlue Foundation is currently accepting letters of inquiry for grants through June 29, 2018. To help other STEM and aviation-focused organizations navigate the application process, Inter American University of Puerto Rico, a previous JetBlue Foundation grant recipient, will offer a grant writing workshop. The school will share best practices that helped them receive a grant in 2016 for its “Girls in Aviation” program which aims to spark an interest in STEM for girls ages 10-17. The workshop will take place on June 22 at the Inter American School of Law in Hato Rey. RSVPs are required for attendance. Grant recipients will be announced in fall 2018.

“For the Inter American University of Puerto Rico, it is a pleasure to collaborate hand in hand with JetBlue to orientate and guide all those interested in obtaining these financial aids. It is our wish that more and more people will be interested in STEM careers, especially women who for decades have been relegated, for lack of opportunities. We urge you to participate in these workshops so that you can take advantage of these important events that are possible thanks to the commitment of the entities that value higher education,” said Manuel J. Fernós, president of the Inter American University.

“We applaud our partners at Inter American University for providing this important service to the local community,” said Geraghty. “Their ‘Girls in Aviation’ program has been a model development opportunity to help encourage more girls to pursue aviation. The school is uniquely positioned to share their knowledge with other organizations that can follow in their footsteps.”

Beyond just grants, the JetBlue Foundation provides in-kind support, mentoring, internships and much more to make a difference for the next generation of aviators, engineers, dispatchers, schedulers, aircraft mechanics and pilots. For example, this summer the JetBlue Foundation and the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals (OBAP) will host their second annual Aviation Career Education (ACE) Academy initiative in San Juan, introducing students ages 14 to 18 to careers in aviation.

Over the past five years, the Foundation has built ongoing relationships with more than 37 aviation and STEM-focused programs and provided over $750,000 in grants to help these programs take off and soar.

(FMI: JetBlue Foundation news release)

FMI: jetbluefoundation.org