Million Girls Moonshot

Inspiring More Girls in STEM

The New Mexico Out-of-School Time Network (NMOST) is excited to be a part of the Million Girls Moonshot. The Intel Foundation and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation have joined STEM Next Opportunity Fund and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation to launch the Million Girls Moonshot. The effort is designed to engage 1 million school-age girls in the United States in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) learning opportunities over the next five years. The organizations 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.

Inspiring More Girls in STEM

The New Mexico Out-of-School Time Network plans to use the funds to help afterschool programs in the state provide STEM education.  Our focus will be equity and inclusion for all youth and strategies for increasing the number of girls attending OST STEM programming. Currently, there is no coordinated strategy in NM to share best practices on gender inclusion and equity with OST providers. 

To fill this gap, NMOST will expand our existing system building efforts and convene organizations working with girls in STEM to create a vision for the next ten years and draft guidelines on how to expand access for girls in OST STEM programming. Our partners in this effort will include New Mexico Math, Engineering and Science Achievement (NM MESA),  NM EPSCoRNM PBS/SciGirlsExplora Science Center and Children’s MuseumGirls Inc of Santa FeAmerican Association of University Women (AAUW), and multiple groups at New Mexico State University: STEM Outreach CenterGirls on Outdoor Adventures for Leadership and Science (GALS), and Mathematically Connected Communities (MC2).