The University of California Los, Angeles (UCLA) has announced a $24.5 million commitment from the Chuck Lorre Family Foundation to double the number of undergraduate STEM scholarships funded by the foundation.

The pledge from the foundation of television creator and producer Chuck Lorre will be added to the existing endowment for the Big Bang Theory Scholarships and fund the newly created UCLA Chuck Lorre Scholars Program, which will provide scholarship recipients with mentorship and support services from the summer before freshman year through graduate school preparation. The gift will enable the scholarship program to increase the number of undergraduate recipients to as many as 80 each year in perpetuity.

Big Bang Theory undergraduate scholarships provide $10,000 each year for up to four years, and graduate fellowships—available to master’s and doctoral students who received Big Bang Theory scholarships as undergraduates—provide $20,000 each year for up to five years. Since 2015, the scholarship program has supported 78 STEM students—50 percent of them women—including 35 current undergraduate scholars and 16 graduate fellows.

According to UCLA, 58 percent of its undergraduates major in life sciences, physical sciences, or engineering. More than 25 percent of these students are the first in their household to attend college, with approximately half demonstrating financial need and nearly 30 percent receiving federal Pell Grants.

“With the growing success of our Big Bang Theory scholars and the community they have built, it was the right time to expand our support to impact even more students by providing additional leadership and wraparound services,” said Lorre. “I am in awe of our scholars and graduate fellows who are poised to reshape the face of STEM.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/ SDI Productions)