Santa Barbara Education Foundation receives $50,000 grant to advance local STEM education

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Santa Barbara Education Foundation (SBEF) received a $50,000 grant form Google.org, Google's philanthropic extension, for its Teacher Grants program.

The SBEF has awarded grants annually since 2018 to support innovative teaching within the Santa Barbara Unified School District through project-based supplies, instructional tools, and field trips.

"As a former educator, I am grateful to the Santa Barbara Education Foundation and the Teacher Grants Program as it has supported hundreds of teachers in the Santa Barbara Unified School District," said State Senator Monique Limón. "The SBEF Teacher Grants Program has allowed teachers to be innovative and creative in the classroom by helping fund curriculum development in the classrooms, student field trips, technology, instructional tools, and general supplies. For some teachers, SBEF Teacher Grants Program is an opportunity to bring technology into the classroom."

State Senator Limón added, "Last year, the Teacher Grants Program helped fund an LED Light Project for 6th graders at Adams Elementary and robots for a coding project at McKinley Elementary School's STEAM lab. In doing so, SBEF and teachers generate artistic and STEM opportunities for local students to participate in while fueling their curiosity about potential careers in STEM and the arts."

This new grant will specifically fund classroom projects that emphasize science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs.

"We're thrilled to support educators through the incredible work the Santa Barbara Education Foundation is doing to expand access to STEM education resources," said Dr. Erik Lucero, Lead Quantum Engineering at Google and Site Lead for the company's Quantum AI Campus in Santa Barbara. "We hope we can play a small part in sparking the interest of the next generation of scientists, engineers, technicians, business experts, and quantum mechanics."