December 20, 2007 – New York - The Toyota USA Foundation today announced
that it has more than doubled the size of its endowment, from $42 million to
$100 million. In 2007, the Foundation gave over $4 million to enhance K-12 math
and science teaching throughout the United States.
"This was a year of important milestones for Toyota in America with both
the 50th anniversary of sales in the U.S. and the 20th year of the Toyota USA
Foundation," said Patricia Salas Pineda, group vice president of Toyota
Motor North America. "The Foundation has provided over $22 million in grants
to nearly 200 organizations since its inception, and we are excited to increase
our giving by raising the endowment to $100 million."
The Toyota USA Foundation supports quality K-12 programs that improve the teaching
and learning of mathematics, science, and environmental education. The foundation
places a high priority on:
• Diverse programs that are broad in scope, incorporate inter-disciplinary
learning, and use "real-world" classroom applications; and
• Innovative and cost-effective programs which develop students and teachers'
abilities.
Toyota USA Foundation Second-Half 2007 Grants:
Program
Description
Grant
Biotech
Partners
Berkeley, CA
Science for Life
Provides four
semesters of hands-on bioscience class work and an eight-week paid
internship that helps prepare under-represented youth to enter the
biotech workforce or a community or four-year college.
$200,000 over two
years
Colorado
River Foundation
Austin, TX
River Stewards
Three-year
program for 6th – 8th grade students that uses
field-based learning to enhance science performance and environmental
stewardship. Paired with classroom curriculum, field activities include
study of animal adaptations renewable energy production, water quality
and pollution analysis.
$100,000 over
two years
Four Corners
School of Outdoor Education
Monticello, UT
Learning
Progressions – The Living Environment
K-8th
grade program promotes conceptual understanding and increases student
interest in the sciences. Eighty teachers and 2,000 students, 50 percent
of which are Native American, in 20 rural elementary and middle schools
in four states, will participate in education, service, adventure and
conservation programs.
$400,000 over
two years
James
Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA
Summer
Institute For Regional Physics And Physical Science Teachers
Acquaints
teachers with up-to-date developments in physics as well as new and
improved pedagogical technique. Also included is funding for a
teacher-in-residence to manage the program.
$255,365 over
three years
The National
Aquarium
Baltimore, MD
AquaPartners
A systemic,
interdisciplinary science program for 1,500 4th and 5th
grade students and their teachers that integrates biological, marine and
environmental sciences into the curriculum, in the classroom, in the
field and at the Aquarium.
$464,381 over
three years
University of Michigan
Dearborn, MI
High School
Beginning Algebra Academy
A joint project
of UM-Dearborn’s Center for
Mathematics Education and the Wayne
County Regional Educational Services
Agency to improve math understanding
and instruction among high school teachers in Wayne County.
$200,000
University
of Nebraska
Lincoln, NE
Online Masters
Degree in Applied Science
Development of
a collaborative interdisciplinary online master's degree program for
K-12th grade science teachers across the country. Teachers
will have the opportunity to improve their own science knowledge while
also learning effective science teaching methods to apply in their
classrooms.
$540,345 over
four years
University
of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA
Mission:
Engineering
Launch a
mentoring program to prepare and encourage promising high school
students to pursue undergraduate engineering degrees. The students will
be introduced to the scientific method, problem-solving and teamwork
through seminars and a two-week summer camp.
$225,000 over
three years
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
One Mission
Development of a
core of K-12th grade standards from each of the STEM
(Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) disciplines integrated
through the theme of exploration, particularly of space and ocean
systems.
$243,870
For information on the Toyota USA Foundation's first-half 2007grants, please
visit:
http://pressroom.toyota.com/Releases/View?id=TYT2007012918534
The Toyota USA Foundation is a $100 million charitable endowment created to
support education programs serving kindergarten through 12th grade students
and their teachers in the United States, with an emphasis on mathematics, science
and environmental science. For additional information about the Toyota USA Foundation,
visit www.toyota.com/foundation.
