Posted on March 11, 2010

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Noyce Foundation Awards $1.7 Million to 4-H Science Program

The Noyce Foundation in Palo Alto, California, has announced a $1.7 million grant to 4-H for the continued support of the youth development organization's Science, Engineering, and Technology (SET) program, which works to deliver innovative science-based education to youth across the nation.

The grant will be used to bolster the infrastructure of 4-H SET in several ways, including providing online professional development training, assisting with state and local SET implementation, providing incentives to recognize innovative local leadership, and developing the capability to assess the program's impact. According to a longitudinal study conducted by the Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development at Tufts University, children in 4-H programs are nearly two times as likely to get better grades, nearly two times as likely to plan to go to college, 41 percent less likely to engage in risky behaviors, and 25 percent more likely to contribute positively to their families and communities than those who don't participate in 4-H programs.

"The Noyce Foundation continues to be a vital partner and advocate for 4-H Science, Engineering and Technology programming," said Donald T. Floyd Jr., National 4-H Council president and CEO. "Noyce's investment will allow 4-H to expand state and county-level SET leadership teams which are integral to reaching our goal of addressing the nation's critical workforce shortages by building the next generation of youth excited about careers in science, engineering and technology."