Funding for Nonprofit Programs Available From Brookhaven Lab

BreakThru Mini-Grants totaling $25,000 to support science and math programs for African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Native American youth in Suffolk County

May 27, 2009

UPTON, NY — The U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory has announced that it is now accepting applications for the 2009 BreakThru Mini-Grants — awards totaling $25,000 for local nonprofit organizations that work with African American, Hispanic/Latino and/or Native American youth in Suffolk County, New York.

Now in the second year of a two-year pilot program, BreakThru Mini-Grants are awards of up to $5,000 for programs that can increase interests and strengthen skills in science, technology, engineering, and math among 10- to 15-year-old African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos and/or Native Americans.

The BreakThru Mini-Grants are funded by Brookhaven Science Associates, which manages Brookhaven Lab. The grants are administered by the Lab's Community Relations Office and were created to help develop and foster an interest in science among young people with demographic profiles that are traditionally underrepresented in the science, technology, engineering, and math workforce.

“By encouraging nonprofit community groups to help generate excitement and fun in learning about science and math, the Lab hopes these BreakThru Mini-Grants will contribute to improving scientific literacy and the development of a diverse talent source from which to draw for future work,” said Jeanne Marie Petschauer of Brookhaven Lab’s Community Relations Office. “As a world-class scientific research institution, we also hope such efforts can help reveal the many possibilities that exist in science, including how it can impact everyday lives and potential future careers.”

The first BreakThru Mini-Grants were awarded to five nonprofit organizations throughout Suffolk County in 2008: The Boys & Girls Club of the Bellport Area in Bellport, The Children’s Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton, The Custer Institute and Observatory in Southold, The William Floyd Community Summit of Mastic, and Wyandanch Youth Services in Wyandanch. More information on these organizations and their projects is available online.

Applications for the 2009 BreakThru Mini-Grants must be submitted by July 31, 2009 for programs that will operate between October 1, 2009 and July 31, 2010. Applicants are encouraged to apply online at www.bnl.gov/community/breakthru.

For detailed information on the grant program, including eligibility and criteria, go to www.bnl.gov/community/breakthru or contact Jeanne Marie Petschauer, (631) 344-2397, jmpets@bnl.gov.

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