Nuestros Tesoros (Our Treasures)
Awarded in 2011 by the Kresge Foundation, Nuestros Tesoros aims to frame the development issues faced by Hispanic CBOs (in particular human service agencies) during the current economic crisis. This effort seeks to identify key opportunities for CBOs to gain access to new block grant stimulus funding, new bank lending and community development support. A first-in-the-field study is underway to survey at least 50 Hispanic CBOs on the impact of the credit and financial crisis on their ability to fulfill their mission. Report findings will be widely disseminated through media and policy outreach efforts including members of congress and the administration.
The Health and Environment Action Network (HEAN)
HEAN is a national and locally-driven effort committed to securing the right of all people to clean air and water. The network has been initiated in four communities to document the nexus of environmental risk and health impacts, mobilize community solutions, and secure national and local action on the
environmental risks that compromise the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the health and well-being of communities. HEAN has introduced innovative new technology to the United States that takes pollution monitoring from a stationary platform to a mobile platform, about the size of a cell phone. Volunteers of HEAN youth take the lead to take measurements of air pollution in their community, on their way to school, where they play, and where they live.
To learn more, visit: http://www.heanaction.org.
Merck Ciencia (Science) Hispanic Scholars Program
This is a partnership with the Merck Company Foundation and the Merck Institute for Science Education (MISE) to improve Hispanic student access to higher education and degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The Ciencia Scholars Program will award $42,500 scholarship/internship packages to each of 10 Hispanic high school seniors a year to pursue college studies in a STEM field in Brownsville, TX; Elizabeth, NJ; and Los Angeles, CA. In addition, 125 Hispanic college students nationwide majoring in a STEM field will receive $2,000 scholarships. As part of this effort the program will be sponsoring an annual Ciencia Scholars Symposium and a scholarship guide for STEM careers.
To learn more or apply, visit: http://alliancescholars.org for more information and to apply.
Proyecto Ciencia® (Project Science)
Proyecto Ciencia® promotes innovative research about Hispanics and communicates new developments to the science community and to consumers in order to support them in making the best-informed decisions for their health. In a new broader phase, Proyecto Ciencia® has been funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Proyecto Ciencia® has inaugurated a Hispanic Pioneers in Science video and podcast series profiling the extraordinary contributions of Hispanics in health and the sciences. The initiative has also developed and widely distributed a Scholarship Resource Guide to encourage Hispanic youth to pursue science and health careers. In addition, Proyecto Ciencia® will disseminate its bilingual (English/Spanish) consumer health materials resource kit to Hispanic consumers and Alliance community partners for use in their community-based health and education programs. More than 100 university-based partners power the reach of Proyecto Ciencia® and help the program support the next generation of Hispanic scientists.
To learn more, visit: http://www.proyecto-ciencia.org