Local Nonprofits Receive $50K Grant From Austin FC, Q2 Stadium

Austin TX

13 December, 2021

3:04 PM

Description

AUSTIN, TX — Three Austin nonprofits were selected to receive a $50,000 grant from Austin FC and Q2 Holdings Inc.'s first Q-mmunity Gives grant program. Con Mi MADRE, Urban Roots and Science Mill each received $50,000 grants to focus on the advancement of underrepresented communities through the following impact areas: education, job skills and readiness, and health and wellness, officials said Monday. "Austin FC is excited to announce the Q-mmunity Gives program's first-ever grant recipients," said Austin FC President Andy Loughnane. "As part of the Club's commitment to the nonprofit community, we are honored to align with Austin FC founding partner Q2 to support three local organizations who represent increasing equity through inclusion." Con Mi MADRE, which was founded in 1992, has focused on empowering young Latinas and their mothers through education and support services that increase preparedness, participation and success in post-secondary education. "Support from the Q-mmunity Gives grant is vital to increasing the number of students and parents Con Mi MADRE can serve," said Con Mi MADRE Executive Director Johanna Moya Fábregas. "We can further our mission of helping young Latinas graduate from high school, enroll in college and successfully earn a college degree, thereby breaking the generational cycles of poverty and its social determinants." Urban Roots cultivates leadership skills through food and farming to transform the lives of young people. The organization's farm-based programs include the Farm Internship Program (14-17 years old) and Farm Leadership Fellowship (18-23 years old), which provide participants with valuable social and emotional development skills and the opportunity to grow and harvest hundreds of pounds of vegetables that are donated to hunger relief partners. "The Q-mmunity Gives grant will allow Urban Roots to equip youth with the knowledge and skills to grow thousands of pounds of nutrient-dense vegetables that will be donated to those in our community experiencing food insecurity," said Urban Roots Executive Director Frances Deviney. The Science Mill opened in 2015 in Johnson City, Texas, as a highly interactive, hands-on science museum focused on Central and South Texas students who have traditionally been underrepresented in the STEM field. Officials said the museum plays an important role in creating new strategies for student engagement in STEM careers while growing the number of underrepresented students in Texas who will become the next generation of STEM leaders in our communities. "More than 60% of Texas students live in economically disadvantaged communities, with little or no access to STEM programs," said Science Mill Founder Bonnie Baskin. "The Q-mmunity Gives grant accelerates our efforts to reach those students who are most in need of the confidence and encouragement to succeed in STEM and become the entrepreneurial and critical thinkers in a 21st-century skilled workforce." Matt Flake, CEO for Q2, said the company is excited to partner with the three nonprofits to help build strong and diverse communities by strengthening their financial institutions, and through the annual Q-mmunity Gives grant program.