Friends,

Winds of change are carrying the Broadcom Foundation in a new direction to “meet the moment.”  Global challenges of the post-pandemic economy have intensified efforts to educate youth to become digitally-literate and to combine scientific knowledge with engineering to insure sustainability of our planet. The foundation is executing new strategies for in-and-out of school education and job retraining, in which digital literacy for all is the primary goal.

Broadcom Foundation has expanded its criteria for 21^st century skills-building to include Coding and Computational Thinking along with Critical Thinking, Creativity, Collaboration and Communication. Foundation programs are also emphasizing the importance of Leadership, Initiative and Civic Awareness through Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) by incorporating  Community Action in order to teach young people to “think globally and act locally” to help attain the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. 

Because the global pandemic has accelerated more ubiquitous use of online learning, Broadcom Foundation is championing equitable access to STEM learning through innovative partnerships that combine online and in person-learning methodologies.  Working alongside the Raspberry Pi Foundation, the Foundation is encouraging establishment of Code Clubs in classrooms and afterschool programs in order to tap expansive free resources of this new partner. The Foundation is also expanding its relationship with ScienceBuddies.org that offers free project-based resources to STEM learners participating in science fairs.

The Foundation remains deeply committed to science fairs as an important forum for student growth and self-expression and will continue to support middle school fairs throughout the US and India.  The newly-created Broadcom Coding with Commitment® award is intended to recognize low-income and under-represented students participating in science fairs whose access to STEM and coding resources may be more limited than other students, by providing more access through after-school and informal learning spaces. This award will also be presented at the Society for Science’s national middle school science competition that will be sponsored by Thermo Fisher Scientific, commencing in 2023.

Code Clubs, science fairs, and other sponsored-programs like Coolest Projects Global and Coolest Projects Malaysia are designed to provide opportunities for Broadcom Inc. engineers and staff to participate as mentors, judges, and Code Club volunteers in communities where they live and work around the world.  As a member of the STEM Funders Network and supporter of STEM Ecosystems, Broadcom Foundation is honored to work alongside dedicated STEM professionals who are committed to giving the next generation the tools they need to realize their dreams and aspirations as young scientists, engineers and innovators.