Intel is putting its weight behind a project to encourage more girls to take up careers in engineering, including in artificial intelligence and IoT fields. The Million Girls Moonshot movement is organised by the Stem Next Opportunity Fund (legacy organisation of the Robert N Noyce Foundation) and the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation.

Together with the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation’s after-school networks, Million Girls Moonshot aims to transform engineering and computer science learning opportunities for girls and their families.

“Girls are the future innovators, engineers and entrepreneurs,” said Pia Wilson-Body, president of the Intel Foundation. “They have the potential to change the world. The Million Girls Moonshot will provide opportunities to ignite a lifelong passion for stem. By investing in girls, we empower them to become the innovators our society needs, and we’re proud to be a leader in this movement.”

For more than two decades, the percentage of women receiving undergraduate degrees in engineering has remained relatively flat, between 18 and 21%, and declined in computer science from 28 to 19%. Million Girls Moonshot is a US movement that aims to help spark the next generation of scientists, inventors, engineers and entrepreneurs. Over the next five years, the movement aims to close the gender gap by inspiring girls to dream big and pursue engineering and computer science careers.

Organisations partnering with Million Girls Moonshot will strive to reach a million girls through:

• Engaging, equity-focused stem programmes and mentorships that create pathways to inspire and support girls pursuing stem in high school and beyond.
• Grant funding and in-kind resources through the Mott Foundation’s network of after-school and out-of-school programmes across the USA to increase access to hands-on, immersive stem learning experiences. Resources include technical assistance, educational resources, special curriculum from Nasa and access to Intel’s She Will Connect programme partners and employee volunteers.
• A scalable and collective impact approach designed to reach girls living in underserved communities who can benefit the most from this movement and build on existing community strengths. Million Girls Moonshot will scale Intel Foundation’s efforts and leverage a diverse group of cross-sector funding and programme partners to deepen its impact.

The effort is designed to engage one million school-age girls in the USA in stem learning opportunities over the next five years. The organisations will provide grant funding and in-kind resources to Mott-funded afterschool networks in all 50 states to increase access to hands-on, immersive stem learning experiences.

“When my father, Robert Noyce, and Gordon Moore founded Intel, they built upon the experiences of their youth, where they had opportunities to build, invent, engineer and experiment,” said Penny Noyce, founding board chair of the Stem Next Opportunity Fund. “These hands-on experiences gave them a sense of initiative, perseverance and a belief that they could create revolutionary new technologies. The Million Girls Moonshot will help girls from diverse backgrounds develop this same engineering mindset, and I’m thrilled at the way it continues the legacy of Intel’s founders and their passion for advancing stem.”

Just as the original moonshot united the nation behind a common goal and dramatically advanced scientific achievement, the Million Girls Moonshot aims to create a national movement to change the trajectory of women and girls in stem. Partners include Nasa, Qualcomm, Technovation, National Girls Collaborative Project, CS for All, JFF, Techbridge Girls and If/Then, an initiative of Lyda Hill Philanthropies.

“The Million Girls Moonshot harnesses the spirit of innovation in philanthropy and in afterschool programming to reimagine our nation’s next generation of engineers, problem-solvers, builders and makers,” said Ridgway White, president and CEO of the Mott Foundation. “We’re delighted that the Intel and Moore foundations will join us in an effort to promote gender equity by empowering girls through stem learning opportunities.”

Women make up half of the total US college-educated workforce, but are vastly underrepresented in stem fields, comprising just 16% of engineers, for example. Black and Latina women have even less representation, at approximately two per cent each. With economic projections pointing to a need for one million more stem professionals than the country will produce at its current rate over the next decade, engaging and keeping more girls in stem pursuits could be critically important.

“Every girl deserves access to high-quality education to achieve their dream career, regardless of their zip code or family’s socioeconomic status,” said Gabriela Gonzalez, deputy director of the Intel Foundation. “The powerful synergies from collaborating with other organisations who share these values achieve a larger collective social impact to advance gender equity and parity in stem fields and, more important, elevate girls’ future prospects for a better quality of life. Equipping youth with emerging technology skills in artificial intelligence, quantum computing and internet of things is also critical for an inclusive and diverse future workforce. By joining this movement, we are expanding, scaling and sustaining the spirit of Intel’s She Will Connect signature initiative, which is something that no sole organisation can do alone.”

Over the past several decades, afterschool and out-of-school programmes have developed expertise in providing the kind of immersive, hands-on learning experiences that are critical to helping students gain fluency in stem subjects. This school year, the opportunity is even greater as students and families face many more hours outside of the traditional classroom. From running stem activities virtually and distributing stem kits to students, to offering small-group, in-person services on remote school days and during traditional afterschool hours, afterschool programmes have stepped up to keep students engaged and learning. The USA’s 100,000 afterschool programmes serve more than ten million young people.

“We’re happy to be inaugural partners in the Million Girls Moonshot and its all-hands-on-deck effort to break down the systemic barriers that exist for girls in stem,” said Janet Coffey, programme director for the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation. “This generation of young people will be the Covid-19 generation. By fostering an engineering mindset and a spirit of scientific exploration, curiosity and discovery, we can empower them to build a better world.”

To support programmes as they pivot to meet students’ needs, the Million Girls Moonshot will provide afterschool networks with technical assistance, educational resources, access to Intel’s She Will Connect partners and mentorship from stem experts, including Intel employee volunteers. The initiative leverages more than $300m in investments made by the Mott Foundation in the past two decades to advance afterschool programmes and systems, including the development of afterschool networks in all 50 states, as well as Mizzen by Mott, an app that provides afterschool educators free access to high-quality content.

Through consistent, equity-focused stem programming and mentorship that engages girls throughout their youth, the Million Girls Moonshot should help weave together opportunities, ensuring that girls are inspired and supported to continue pursuing stem in high school and beyond.