The Bosch Community Fund strives to support creative and practical STEM learning opportunities that are accessible to all students. The grants provide educational resources for teachers and increase student access to hands-on STEM and environmental sustainability programming.
More than 3,000 Bosch associates live and work in Southeast Michigan. Bosch’s North American regional headquarters is located in Farmington Hills, and several Bosch business sites are located in the Southeast Michigan region. By supporting local STEM and environmental programs, the Bosch Community Fund is bolstering its commitment to teachers, students and associates in the area.
“Bosch is passionate about investing in the future of our communities, students and teachers,” said Maximiliane Straub, CFO and executive vice president of finance, controlling and administration for Bosch in North America, who serves as chairperson of the Bosch Community Fund. “STEM skills and environmental responsibility are increasingly important in today’s educational landscape and workforce. We’re proud to support innovative programs that give the students in our communities access to STEM education, career development and mentorship.”
Grant recipients include the Detroit Dirt Foundation, which recently received a $48,700 planning grant from the Bosch Community Fund to develop a hands-on composting kit for K-12 students. The Detroit-based organization collects food waste from area businesses, such as Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and General Motors, and transforms the waste into compost for agriculture. Through its efforts, Detroit Dirt strives to foster a zero-waste mindset, promote a low-carbon economy and enable a more environmentally sustainable community.
The Bosch Community Fund recently awarded a $60,000 grant to Friends of the Rouge (FOTR), a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and restoring the Rouge River watershed in Southeast Michigan. The grant will support the installation of a new lab in Plymouth, Michigan, that will be used for environmental and ecological testing. The FOTR lab will be open to school groups and host various FOTR educational programs. Furthermore, the Bosch Community Fund grant will also support a community clean-up program for the Rouge River tributary in Plymouth.
The University of Michigan College of Engineering received a $100,000 grant to support its Michigan Engineering Zone (MEZ) facility. Located in Detroit, MEZ is a robotics workspace that supports Detroit-area robotics teams and programs, providing local students with access to equipment, training and mentoring from professional engineers and University of Michigan student mentors. During the 2017 FIRST® Robotics season, teams from 18 high schools in the Detroit area used the facility to design, build and test their robots for competition.
“Community groups, schools and hands-on programs are important drivers of STEM education and environmental sustainability,” said Kathleen Owsley, president, Bosch Community Fund. “By expanding educational opportunities both within and beyond the classroom, these standout organizations are making STEM education more accessible to area communities. Bosch is committed to helping these organizations engage students and teachers in Southeast Michigan.”
Since spring of 2017, the Bosch Community Fund has awarded grants to the following organizations based in Southeast Michigan:
- Ann Arbor Hands On Museum's DPSCD Science Enrichment Education Outreach Initiative "States of Matter"
- Centerline Public Schools’ Expanding STEM Opportunities for Middle School and Elementary School Students
- Cranbrook Educational Community DPSCD Science Enrichment Education Outreach Initiative
- Detroit Dirt Foundation's Planning Grant for Detroit Dirt
- The Educational Excellence Foundation P-CCS STEM Experiences
- Farmington/Farmington Hills Education Foundation's Team 3414 FH Support for FIRST Robotics
- Farmington/Farmington Hills Education Foundation Full S.T.E.A.M. Ahead
- Farmington Family YMCA Summer Camp STEM program
- Farmington Friends of the Library Public Access STEAM for K-12
- Farmington Hills Friends of the Park STEM in Nature
- Fitzgerald Public Schools’ STEM Programming for Middle School and High School Students
- Friends of the Plymouth District Library STEM Opportunities for all Ages
- Friends of the Rouge’s Program and Operating Grant
- Huron River Watershed Council's Youth Engagement and Monitoring
- Michigan Science Center's STEMinista Project: STEM Career Field Trip Experiences
- New Morning School Science and Engineering Camp Scholarships
- The Regents of the University of Michigan's Bosch/School of Education (SOE) K-12 STEM Education Planning and Development
- Peace, Love, & Planet 5th Grade Recycle Field Trips and Food Appreciation
- Schoolcraft College Foundation Bosch STEAM Scholars Program
- United Way of Southeast Michigan's LinkED Learning
- University of Michigan College of Engineering’s Michigan Engineering Zone
- Van Dyke Public Schools’ Robotics in Middle School
- Warren Consolidated School District’s STEM Teacher Professional Learning
- Warren Woods Public Schools’ Elementary STEM Initiative and Science Instruction
The Bosch Community Fund provides grants in U.S. communities where Bosch and its subsidiaries have locations. Since 2012, the Bosch Community Fund has awarded more than $6 million to programs and organizations in Southeast Michigan. Since its establishment in 2011, the Bosch Community Fund has awarded more than $20 million in grants to nonprofit organizations and educational institutions throughout North America.
