CSUN Announces $1.8M in HSI Community Grants for CSU STEM Initiatives With support from Apple, CSUN’s Global HSI Equity Innovation Hub launches first initiative

Posted on July 16, 2022 by Design in Design Innovation | 0 Comments

First-of-its-kind Global Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Equity Innovation Hub announced today $1.8 million in CSU HSI Community Grants designed to inspire the next generation of creators and innovators to pursue educational pathways that lead to high-demand careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and the creative and tech industries. Above is a proposed rendering of the Hub.

Ranging from $50,000 to $150,000, the CSU HSI Community Grants will facilitate support and programming for the 21 California State University campuses federally designated as HSIs. Formulated to cultivate practices that amplify equity and innovation, leverage technology and facilitate collaborations with educational, community and industry partners, these grants aim to impact a system-level transformation that activates the diverse student talent needed to build a more inclusive and diverse workforce in the future.

“By reframing serving through an equity and racial justice lens, the Equity Innovation Hub seeks to exponentially accelerate educational equity across the CSU system and nation,” California State University, Northridge President Erika D. Beck said. “The HSI Community Grants will provide the financial and technological fuel to spark innovation and build the nationwide repository of strategies that positively impact our students and enable their success. Our students’ success impacts not only their lives, but their families and entire communities, creating a brighter and more equitable future for us all.”

The Equity Innovation Hub (EIH) at CSUN is a public-private partnership made possible through a $25 million investment from Apple and the State of California for national, CSU-wide and regional programming. As part of the nation’s largest and most diverse public higher education system, the EIH will serve as a catalyst for student brilliance in STEM by creating student success spaces including spaces for whole family outreach. Beyond its physical boundaries, the EIH will help design a national model for authentically serving diverse student populations to support America’s future in high-demand STEM fields and the creative and tech economy of tomorrow.

“HSIs serve as a beacon of opportunity for Latinx/Hispanic students and communities of color, and we’re thrilled to help create new educational pathways on their campuses for this next generation of STEM learners and leaders,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s Vice President of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives. “We’re proud to support the HSI Equity Innovation Hub through our Racial Equity and Justice Initiative to help students foster skills for high-demand careers and create a more diverse workforce for the jobs of today and tomorrow.”

The application process for the first round of CSU HSI Community Grants is now open. Applications are due by Monday, Sept. 26, and grant awards will be announced on Friday, Oct. 7. In addition to professional and financial support, CSU HSI Community Grants can also include requests for Apple technology.

Institutions of higher education are classified as Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) when at least 25 percent of the full-time undergraduate enrollment is Latinx and at least half of the institution’s students are low-income. Twenty-one of the 23 CSU campuses meet these criteria, qualifying them to apply for CSU HSI Community Grants. CSUN is annually listed among the nation’s leaders in awarding degrees to Latinx students, and more than 21,000 of the campus’ approximately 39,000 students enrolled last fall identified as Latinx.