Last November, just as I wrapped up five consecutive weeks of travel, I posted a blog titled, “5 Reasons We Are Thankful for Our Partners,” sharing insights into how our philanthropic supporters make us stronger and how they increase our capacity to impact more students year after year. What I didn’t realize at the time was that our collective commitment to the mission was about to be tested.
The pandemic changed the world, yet our partners continued to be a constant source of support and inspiration for us. As we moved quickly to innovate to meet the needs of students, parents and educators, we were bolstered by a significant increase in philanthropic funding as well as increased visibility provided by partners such as Cisco, Phillips 66, Verizon, the One8 Foundation, NewSchools Venture Fund, the Overdeck Family Foundation, Rockwell Automation, John Deere, Ueberroth Family Foundation, Beall Family Foundation, SoCalGas, Pitney Bowes Foundation and many others.
This year, more than ever before, I want to acknowledge the genuinely caring and dedicated people that we have the privilege to call our partners. Within each of these impressive organizations, we have friends who care about those we serve as much as we do. I received frequent calls from our partners checking on our well-being as we navigated through the pandemic and civil unrest. When we decided to host our Annual Partner Advisory Forum as a virtual event, they showed up in full force to contribute to the discussion of how to prepare for the uncertainties ahead.
Every year we are tremendously grateful for the support of our partners, but this year, we feel especially honored to stand alongside them as they demonstrate the compassion, leadership, and resilience that we hope to build in every student we serve.
Karin Wu
Executive Vice President/ Executive Director, Social Impact
MIND Research Institute
To help mitigate both summer learning loss and the “COVID slide,” the One8 Foundation, Mass STEM Hub, MIND Research Institute, and Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MA DESE) partnered to provide access to ST Math in grades K-6 for Massachusetts schools. This 2020 Mass Math Initiative kept meaningful learning happening over the summer and through the 2020-21 school year.
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In addition to continued support of ST Math within its VILS (Verizon Innovative Learning Schools) program, Verizon donated $10 million to nonprofit organizations serving students, families and communities as part of its COVID-19 response. This included the No Kid Hungry initiative, the center for Disaster Philanthropy, and Direct Relief. They also tripled the data allowances for VILS, ensuring that students learning at home would be able to stay connected.
Phillips 66 knows that today’s youth are the future leaders of the energy industry. That’s why they invest in fueling students’ interests in mathematics and other STEM subjects. Phillips 66’s long-term partnership with MIND has helped to scale ST Math nationally. Phillips 66 provided funding for ST Math as well as recognized outstanding educators for their implementation of the program.
Since 2014, John Deere has continuously invested in ST Math as a part of its STEM education portfolio so last fall, MIND was invited to highlight a panel of educators and 4th grade students at its annual John Deere Inspire event at their headquarters in Moline, IL. During COVID-19, John Deere produced protective face shields for medical personnel and started an employee food bank donation matching program. They also launched a COVID-19 Innovations site to provide free resources for everything from 3D-printable designs to social distancing resources.
Rockwell Automation’s innovation shined this year as they found ways to continue engaging students while they learned from home. Jay Flores contributed to MIND’s “Developing our MathMINDs” series, and developed his own series as well! “ It's Not Magic It's Science!” uses the entertainment factor of magic to increase excitement and awareness in STEM. Our own JiJi even guest starred as Jay’s assistant in an episode or two.
Cisco has been a supporter of MIND Research Institute and ST Math for over fifteen years. During COVID-19, Cisco provided additional support to MIND to improve accessibility for our homeschool program, making it possible for nearly 33,000 families to gain access to ST Math. Cisco also provided free access and additional resources around its Webex platform to schools and families around the country, to help ease the transition to remote learning.
The Overdeck Foundation was an incredible supporter of students as schools across the country shifted to remote learning. They provided additional funding to their education partners, including funds that helped MIND bring free access to ST Math for more students.
NewSchools Venture Fund’s mission is to reimagine public education through powerful ideas, passionate educators and visionary innovators so all children—especially those in underserved communities—have the opportunity to succeed. During COVID-19, they curated resources for education innovators.
In addition to increasing support for MIND in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, Pitney Bowes and the Pitney Bowes Foundation provided funding support to the United Way, made donations to food banks in over 45 communities across the country, helped make books available to families at meal pick-up locations, and made in-kind donations of educational materials to ensure learning was happening at home.
