The CME Group Foundation, the charitable arm of CME Group, a Chicago-based derivatives marketplace, has announced grants totaling $2.6 million to fourteen organizations in Illinois in support of STEM education initiatives.

Recipients of the grants include LEAP Innovations, which was awarded $1 million for its work to foster change and next-generation thinking in the classroom; Vision 20/20, which will receive $25,000 support of its 21st Century Learning Center; Northwestern University/Digital Youth Network, which was awarded $125,000 to evaluate computer science programs for Chicago youth; Governors State University, which will receive $200,000 in support of professional development for K-3 math teachers in Chicago's South Side suburbs; and McKendree University, which was awarded $100,000 for early math professional development initiatives in rural areas of southern Illinois.

"We are thrilled to support these organizations and work with the brightest minds in education to encourage fresh approaches to math, computer science, and personalized learning," said CME Group Foundation executive director Kassie Davis. "By funding programs that span from the cradle to career development, we hope to spark system-wide change that will benefit all Chicago-area students. Today's children will shape the future of the world's most important industries — including our own — so we work hard to give them the tools they need to achieve their full potential."