Pfizer Donates $1.5M Grant To New York City’s STEM Programs

On July 11, New York’s mayor, Eric Adams, announced that the city will be boosting its STEM programs with the help of a $1.5 million grant from Pfizer, a biopharmaceutical company known for developing a COVID-19 vaccine.

Pfizer’s donation to the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City will specifically support students in two STEM-related initiatives, Exploring Futures and College Now for Careers. The programs help support the city’s science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) educational programs. The extra funding will also go towards building a career pathway for students to help them break into the industry. 

JUST IN: We're boosting STEM educational programs for our NYC students with the help of a $1.5 MILLION grant!@pfizer is funding this grant that will help students explore potential career paths and help them earn college credits. Supporting our youth is a win for us all! pic.twitter.com/IRgPdWRJlC

— NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) July 11, 2022

“Thanks to Pfizer for their generous support, giving middle school and high school students access to important STEM programming that will expand their future career opportunities and propel them into the possibilities of the 21st-century workforce,” said Adams in a statement. 

“If we don’t educate, we incarcerate, and this generous grant will bolster STEM educational programs to give our middle and high school students the ability to thrive in life by allowing them to explore careers many never thought possible.”  

The “Exploring Futures” program sets students up for success by helping them learn about all the career pathways. New York will use $750,000 of the grant over three years to help expand the program to reach more schools. 

The initiative, launched under former NYC mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration, currently operates in nine middle schools with over 200 students. 

Not only does the initiative help teacher and curriculum development, but it also assists middle school students with all the tools needed to transition into high school. 

The “College Now for Careers” program allows New York City public high school students to earn college credits at The City University of New York. The program, a partnership between the Department of Education and The City University of New York (CUNY), currently serves over 20,000 students. This initiative allows students to earn college credits and complete their necessary STEM majors to qualify for enrolment at The City University of New York.

In addition, the city will use $675,000 of the grant over three years to further expand the initiative to bring on 1,000 more students.