Intel Foundation
/OVERVIEW: Intel’s philanthropy comes through both the company’s corporate responsibility and the Intel Foundation. Combined, these entities offer technology grants, entrepreneurial programs for students, research grants, scholarships and technology gifts that frequently interweave the corporation’s products with classroom pedagogy and curricula. Intel prioritizes increased representation of women and minorities in the field, education competitions and teacher development. It also supports disaster and emergency response and relief efforts in the United States and around the world.
IP TAKE: Unlike many corporate foundations that have just a few grantees, Intel funds several organizations every year. Its support is diverse in size, subject matter and recipient group. There are opportunities here, both big and small, but the foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals or requests for funding. While it’s not particularly accessible, it does occasionally call for proposals, so keep up with their latest news if their mission suits your work.
Like many corporate-backed funders, the Intel Foundation prefers partnerships where the company can play some role in the work being carried out and seeks to support communities where the company is based (Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, New Mexico and Massachusetts).
PROFILE: Founded in 1988, the Intel Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the software and technology company Intel. Inspired by Intel cofounder Robert Noyce’s pronouncement “don’t be encumbered by history, go off and do something wonderful,” the Intel Foundation aspires to be a “catalyst of change by investing in innovative STEM programs, providing disaster relief and support, and amplifying the investments of Intel employees.” While Intel founders Gordon Moore and Robert Noyce have large private foundations in their own names, which give millions to science education, the company does its own independent philanthropy.
Grants for STEM Education
The Intel Foundation supports STEM education, primarily in higher education, in several key ways. Professors at colleges and universities who can receive training programs to help them educate the next generation of innovators. Grants are also available for research projects into how technology can make industries more efficient, and Intel also collaborates with faculty in curriculum development and supports promising early-stage Ph.D. faculty. Students pursuing degrees or research can receive support including scholarships, fellowships, and research grants for undergraduate and graduate programs.
Although it is not technically philanthropy, Intel also offers internships and career recruitment programs for students as well. Researchers who benefit from Intel’s support through exploratory, “focused,” or “long-term industry” investigations that involve collaboration between top-level minds in the academy and those within the company itself. Focus areas trend toward cutting-edge questions, challenges, and future directions to advance existing technologies and expand the limits of the possibilities in the field.
Many opportunities for students, professors, and researchers are available through universities where Intel has developed strong partnerships. For instance, across the United States, Intel sponsors Intel Science and Technology Centers that serve as research facilities for professors and students, and it has developed these relationships over many years. Intel also sponsors collaboratives offering both undergraduate and graduate support for students in higher education. For example, it sponsors higher education fellowships and undergraduate research through the Semiconductor Research Corporation Education Alliance, a self-described “private foundation…[that] develops sources of funding to provide undergraduate and graduate science and engineering students with a unique education consisting of traditional coursework, cutting-edge research, and direct interaction with the semiconductor industry.” It is also a patron of the National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering & Science (GEM).
The line between STEM education, which includes students in all grades, and university technology programs is blurred when looking at some means of support. For example, Intel supports science and technology curriculum development, and it also sponsors science and engineering fairs across the country at the secondary and postsecondary levels. The Intel Foundation also funds a gifts program (matching employees’ financial donations) and a grant program (matching “volunteer hours performed by Intel employees and US Intel retirees”) for both K-12 and postsecondary institutions.
Grants for Women and Girls
The Intel Foundation broadly supports organizations “promoting inclusion and social justice to ensure opportunities for all.” According to the foundation, the “next generation of innovators should be more diverse by gender, race, ethnicity, geography, and social class.” As such, one of the foundation’s areas of grantmaking includes encouraging and increasing girls’ participation in the technology, engineering, and computer science sectors. Past grantees include the National Center for Women and Information, which received support for its AspireIT K-12 Outreach program. The Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts is also a past Intel grantee, having received an award for its Girls building Self-eSTeEM program. Intel has also run signature collaborations for girls’ technology education and career development including Intel She Will Connect, which gives girls in middle-school hands on technology experiences, and the Million Girls Moonshot, which “which aims to equip 1 million more girls from under-resourced U.S. communities with an engineering mindset” though out-of-school programs.
Grants for Humanitarian and Disaster Relief
The Intel Foundation generally awards broad grants for disaster response and relief endeavors rather than disaster preparedness programs. It does not appear to fund refugee-related work. Past grantees include Bal Raksha Bahrat, which received funding for its work helping families rebuild their homes and restore their livelihoods after widespread flooding in India; and CARE USA, which received support for its global humanitarian work.
Important Grant Details:
Intel grant amounts vary widely, often ranging from $500 to $50,000. The Intel Foundation does not typically accept unsolicited grant applications or requests for funding; however, it periodically announces requests for proposals. Organizations running programs that are a close fit to the foundation’s mission may email the Intel with brief descriptions of their work.
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