January 3, 2023

Epstein Community Foundation is excited to announce the four $5,000 grant winners for 2022. We received 23 impressive and qualified applications which made the selection process very difficult. The following is a list of the 2022 recipients:

Chicago Engineers Foundation's mission is to encourage and empower young people to become the next generation of engineers through scholarship opportunities, outreach to educational institutions, and promoting interest in engineering as a career. ECF supports their Student Success Career Development Program which provides engineering college students with tools including virtual networking and in-person workshops, resume and interview skills sessions, personalized resume evaluations, mentoring opportunities, peer/professional networking, corporate tours, and individualized internship position searches.

Arquitina is a professional leadership and licensure initiative for Latinas in the field of Architecture. Arquitinas receive exam support and critical mentorship to guide them through their careers. ECF will also provide scholarships for ARE exam study materials.

Project SYNCERE is the dream of three African American men who learned at an early age the power of education and technology. Dissatisfied with the lack of diversity in their fields, they left corporate America to start an organization devoted to encouraging students to embrace STEM fields. ECF will sponsor the ENpowered Games, a 10-week program providing students with 20 hours of enrichment to strengthen their understanding of STEM careers. The program culminates with the ENpowered Games competition, which provides over 300 middle school students with an opportunity to showcase the skills they developed during the program.

Science & Entrepreneurship Exchange runs SparkShop, an immersive education program that empowers 4th and 5th grade students to imagine their futures as engineers. Their mission is to inspire and mobilize the next generation of engineers, innovators, entrepreneurs, and manufacturing geniuses. They bring awareness and knowledge of STEM fields to students in the Chicago area, specifically in schools and classrooms where underrepresented students live and learn. Since 2013, SparkShop has served over 5,300 students, and they provide curriculum and materials to 24 schools across the city. ECF will make it possible for them to purchase material kits for 500 students materials during the Industrial Engineering & Manufacturing unit in the Spring of 2023.

Congratulations to all our recipients! We can’t wait to work with everyone to continue to give back to our community this year!