Greater Cincinnati Foundation Awards PIE Funding
The Greater Cincinnati Foundation Awards $25,000 Grant to Partnership For Innovation in Education
CINCINNATI – (May 4, 2016) Partnership For Innovation in Education (PIE) has received a $25,000 grant from The Greater Cincinnati Foundation to support its new summer program with Breakthrough Cincinnati, United Way of Greater Cincinnati’s Partners for a Competitive Workforce (PCW), University of Cincinnati’s College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services (CECH), and the Greater Cincinnati STEM Collaborative (GCSC).
“I am honored to receive this funding from The Greater Cincinnati Foundation for PIE’s exciting, new program, which will help motivated, talented and underserved local students gain hands-on experience in 21st century career pathways. This program is intended to help students develop in-demand skills that will chart their future education and career paths,” said Mary Welsh Schlueter, CEO for PIE.
“The Greater Cincinnati Foundation is excited to invest in this collaborative pilot project with this group of partners. Providing students engaging educational experiences where they have the opportunity to develop their skills and knowledge as they explore their career interests is critical to ensuring their long-term success,” said Helen J. Mattheis, Program Director, Thriving People of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation.
Breakthrough Cincinnati (BTC) is a four-year, tuition-free academic enrichment program for highly motivated middle school students from underserved and/or underrepresented communities. BTC’s dual mission is to increase the educational opportunities of middle school students and to inspire and train the next generation of teachers and educational leaders.
Partners for a Competitive Workforce is a partnership in the Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana Tri-State region focused on ensuring employers have the talent they need to compete and people have the skills they require to get good jobs and advance in their careers. The work is focused on the Healthcare, Information Technology, Advanced Manufacturing, Construction, and Supply Chain pathways.
Sean Kelley, director of the Talent Pipeline Initiative for PCW and a co-leader of GCSC, said, “We are eager to join with partners PIE, Breakthrough Cincinnati and U.C. to engage and excite more students in our region with STEM career-based learning opportunities over the summer. Our goal with this program is to ignite a spark in students that will lead them to choose STEM majors and careers. This new partnership will allow us to reach even more young people in our community, and we are grateful to Greater Cincinnati Foundation.”
Patterned after courses at Harvard Business School, the PIE program will feature a Southwest Ohio business working with students to solve an authentic business challenge. It will begin in mid-June and span eight weeks of the BTC program with licensed PIE Ohio STEM educators, school counselors and university professors assessing social-emotional skillsets such as a “grit” and perseverance. It will also include technology experts such as Polar 3D, a leading 3D printing and modeling company located in Madisonville.
About The Greater Cincinnati Foundation
The Greater Cincinnati Foundation helps people make the most of their giving to build a better community. We believe in the power of philanthropy to change the lives of people and communities. As a community foundation, GCF creates a prosperous Greater Cincinnati by investing in thriving people and vibrant places. An effective steward of the community’s charitable resources since 1963, the Foundation inspires philanthropy in eight counties in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.
About PIE
Partnership For Innovation In Education (PIE) develops transformational educational tools preparing the 21st century workforce for success in the global marketplace. PIE features first-ever career simulation and mentoring alliances with business, education and arts organizations, providing hands-on learning in the K-16 classroom. PIE is a 501c3 nonprofit, tax-exempt organization, awarded the GuideStar Nonprofit “Gold Exchange” Ranking and is an Ohio School District Partner. For more information, visit www.piemedia.org or follow @PIE_Innovation on Twitter.
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