The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) has announced grants totaling $15 million in support of inclusive science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) environments at universities across the country.

Awarded through HHMI’s Driving Change initiative, the grants include $2.5 million each to Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, the Ohio State University, the University at Albany, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, University of Montana, and University of Virginia. Launched in 2019, the initiative initially selected 38 research universities from 99 applicants to form the Driving Change Learning Community, with representatives meeting every few months to address barriers to racial equity campus-wide and provide support for student success in STEM. The first six Driving Change grants have been awarded to finalist applicants that made strong arguments for their readiness to embark on this change.

“As HHMI program leaders, we’re excited and grateful for the opportunity to work alongside faculty and academic leaders in a collaborative effort toward change,” wrote Driving Change program lead Sarah Simmons and David Asai, HHMI senior director, science education, in a post. “We don’t have all the answers, and we’re continuously learning how to provide the most effective philanthropic support for long-term change in education. We believe that science belongs to all of us.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Gordon Koff)