Chemical Industry Raises Over $7 Million for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Initiative
WASHINGTON — With the support of 43 chemical manufacturers and related industry stakeholders, the founding partners of the Future of STEM Scholars Initiative (FOSSI) announced the program surpassed its 2021 goal to fund scholarships for 150 students majoring in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The program will support 151 scholars in its inaugural year, at an investment of $7.2 million dollars. Multi-year commitments from sponsoring organizations have raised an additional $4 million in support of future scholars.
Launched last year by the American Chemistry Council (ACC), the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), The Chemours Co. and the HBCU Week Foundation, FOSSI is the chemical industry's collaborative equity, diversity and inclusion initiative aimed at creating pathways for more underrepresented groups to enter and succeed in the chemical industry. FOSSI provides scholarship recipients $10,000 per year for four years, as well as opportunities for internships, mentoring and leadership training.