Program Type
Curriculum/Instructional MaterialsInformal /Out of SchoolCollege Readiness
Curriculum/Instructional Materials
Informal /Out of School
College Readiness
Target Audience
Black/African American
Hispanic/Latino
Location
California
Grades
Grades 9 - 12
Grades 9 - 12
Accomplished link
Program Impact
Since SMASH's inception in 2004, 100% of our 459 alumni have graduated high school and enrolled in college. Of alumni, 94% enrolled in a four-year university and 47% of these attended the top 50 universities in the country. Nearly 80% graduated within five years and 74% declared a STEM major in their freshman year, in comparison to only 23% of all college freshman, an impact three times higher. Persistence levels are also high, with 84% of STEM majors persisting beyond the freshman year and 73% persisting in their junior year. Computer Science is the top major, followed by biology. SMASH alumni attend selective colleges such as UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, Stanford, Emory, Dartmouth, Cal Poly, UCLA, Brown, Duke, MIT and University of Pennsylvania.
Program Overview
SMASH is a rigorous, intensive and long-term college preparatory program for high potential students of color, girls and First Generation youth in under-resourced high schools. SMASH serves as a STEM pipeline, preparing scholars take AP courses in high school, qualify and succeed with AP tests required to gain entry to prestigious colleges, enroll in college and then pursue STEM majors and careers.
How To Get Involved
SMASH currently costs $5,000 per scholar per year, including room and board for the five-week summer program. LPFI’s intensive program model has been proven over the past 12 years to result in impacts for youth that are triple that of mainstream educational outcomes. We recognize that there are so many barriers to success for the youth that we serve, that this intensive, four-year approach is required to support and empower youth for lasting success.
LPFI also organizes Level the Playing Field Hackathons as “gateway” events to intrigue youth in technology. We invite and welcome donations of all sizes to support our work and the youth that we serve.
SMASH is seeking supporters who can: sponsor students individually or an entire cohort of 30 students per year; fund instructors, enrichment experiences and materials, as well as volunteer as mentors or role models.
Funders and Partners
AT&T Foundation
Ford Foundation
The National Science Foundation
Dhanam Foundation
Bayer USA Foundation
Infosys Foundation
Rose Hills Foundation
McCormick Family Foundation
Innovate Family Foundation
Genentech Foundation
Leslie Family Foundation
Callison Foundation
Ford Motor Company
RGK Foundation
Amgen Foundation
Irene Scully Foundation
Oracle Foundation
SanDisk
Microsoft Corporation
Ralph Parsons Foundation
Contacts
Samantha Smart Merritt, Corporate and Foundation Relations Officer
510-488-6605
Design Principles
The programs in this database clear a high bar. STEMworks reviewed each program against the Design Principles for Effective STEM Philanthropy.
Accomplished
Developing
Undeveloped
Overarching Principles
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Need
Identify and target a compelling and well-defined need.
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Evaluation
Use rigorous evaluation to continuously measure and inform progress towards the compelling need identified.
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Sustainability
Ensure work is sustainable.
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Replication and Scalability
Demonstrate replicability and scalability.
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Partnerships
Create high impact partnerships
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Capacity
Ensure organizational capacity to achieve goals.
STEM Principles
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Challenging and Relevant Content
Offer challenging and relevant STEM content for the target audience
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STEM Practices
Incorporate and encourage STEM practices.
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Inspiration
Inspire interest and engagement in STEM.
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Under-Represented Groups
Identify and address the needs of under-represented groups.