Santa Clara County House Reps Announce $350K+ in Federal Funding to Improve Equity in STEM Fields

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Representatives Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Zoe Lofgren (CA-18), the Ranking Member of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, Anna Eshoo (CA-16), and Ro Khanna (CA-17) announced that the National Science Foundation (NSF) and U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) will distribute a total of $357,342 to the San Jose State University Research Foundation for two research projects seeking to promote cultural and economic equity in STEM fields, specifically for startups and students.

 “Innovation, equity, and entrepreneurship are key to success in the 21^st century economy. By focusing on all three, these projects will foster sustainable growth in the STEM and tech sectors. We applaud this federal investment to help enhance students’ professional development and diversify the AI and semiconductor workforces,” said Reps. Panetta, Lofgren, Eshoo, and Khanna.

The Members announced the following two grants:

• $300,000 from EDA to support the project titled “Mapping the Path to Evolving Silicon Valley’s Ecosystem Equity,” which aims to remediate barriers for minority and women entrepreneurs and drive economic development.
• $57,342 from NSF to examine how equity-focused mentorship programs impact the success of students pursuing careers in STEM.

The EDA funding comes from the Build to Scale (B2S) program, which supports technology entrepreneurship through increased access to startup capital and entrepreneurial assistance. The EDA funding was provided by the FY23 consolidated appropriations package that Reps. Lofgren, Eshoo, Khanna, and Panetta voted in favor of.

The NSF funding comes from the Foundation’s Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) funding. Reps. Panetta, Lofgren, Eshoo, and Khanna voted for all three FY24 Continuing Resolutions passed by Congress.

###