SME Education Foundation Partners with IOScholarships to Diversify Manufacturing and STEM

The SME Education Foundation has partnered with IOScholarships to create an equal opportunity for all students to achieve their educational goals and diversify the manufacturing industry and STEM fields.

The Foundation operates as the philanthropic arm of SME, the national nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of manufacturing technology and fostering manufacturing and engineering talent and capabilities in North America.

IOScholarships is a search tool that helps underrepresented students find scholarships in the STEM fields. Their mission is to increase the number of underrepresented students in the science, technology, engineering, and math fields by offering a free, intuitive, user friendly scholarship matching experience for diverse undergraduate and graduate students.

“Our partnership with SME will reduce barriers for low-income Latinos and diverse students pursuing an associate or bachelor’s degree in manufacturing, engineering, or related discipline,” said María Fernanda Trochimezuk, founder of IOScholarships. “Together we will help grow the representation of underserved and underrepresented communities within the STEM workforce and create economic mobility for the next generation of manufacturing and engineering talent.”

With more than 60 distinct scholarship programs, the SME Education Foundation awards scholarships to hundreds of graduating high school seniors and current college students pursuing an associate or bachelor’s degree in manufacturing, engineering, or related discipline. Through its scholarship program, the Foundation awarded nearly $1 million dollars in scholarships in 2023.

“This partnership is a continuation of the Foundation’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiative, which started in 2021 and enhances our scholarship program, allowing us to better engage with communities whom we are trying to excite about the manufacturing industry,” said Rob Luce, vice president of the SME Education Foundation. “In addition to making sure that the students who need it most are the ones receiving funds to earn an associate or bachelor’s degree, we’re also improving the likelihood that recipients complete their degrees, by providing more financial support throughout their time in an educational program.”

According to the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Hispanic, Black, and American Indian or Alaska Native U.S. citizens and permanent residents earned 26% of science and engineering bachelor’s, 24% of science and engineering master’s, and 16% of science and engineering doctoral degrees in 2020. Women were underrepresented among degree recipients at all degree levels in physical and earth sciences, mathematics and computer sciences, and engineering in 2020.

What’s great about SME program is that students only need to fill out one application to be considered for all scholarships they offer.

Only 5% of our applicants are interested in attending a Community College and SME wants to increase this number and reach more students interested in 2-year programs who can benefit from their program. Scholarship applications are accepted annually from November 1 – February 1. By submitting one application, students will be considered for every scholarship for which you are eligible. Awards range from $2,500 – $20,000.

They also recently launched a need-based renewable scholarship program for graduating high school seniors who are Pell Grant Eligible. These scholarships are open to students planning to attend a 2-year or 4-year program and they provide mentorship opportunities for all recipients of need-based renewable scholarships. They are also looking to drastically get more applications from need-based students, don’t miss this opportunity and apply today!

In 2023, more students than ever before applied for scholarships from the Foundation with 1,404 applications reviewed, with an increase in participation among women and students of color. Last year, $913,800 – a record amount – was awarded to graduating high school seniors, undergraduates, and graduate students as part of the Foundation’s mission to inspire, prepare and support the next generation of manufacturing and engineering talent. Awards to women and students of color remained strong, doubling, and tripling the historical average. Since 2005, the Foundation has awarded over $18 million to over 5,000 deserving students. 

As the philanthropic arm of SME, the SME Education Foundation inspires, prepares, and supports the next generation of manufacturing and engineering talent. Established in 1979, the Foundation works to expose youth to modern manufacturing technologies, train students on relevant manufacturing processes, and award millions of dollars in scholarships annually. All Foundation programming seeks to empower youth to consider and pursue careers in manufacturing and engineering and increase engagement with historically underrepresented populations to help diversify the manufacturing industry. We continue to inspire, prepare and support the next generation of manufacturing and engineering talent – now as many as 9,000 students every year. Visit smeef.org and follow the SME Education Foundation on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. About SME Established in 1932 as a nonprofit organization, SME represents the entire North American manufacturing industry, including manufacturers, academia, professionals, students, and the communities in which they operate. Together we share one common belief: Manufacturing holds the key to economic growth and prosperity. SME accelerates new technology adoption and inspires and builds North America’s talent and capabilities in order to advance manufacturing as a diverse, thriving and valued ecosystem that drives competitiveness, resiliency and national security. We believe in technology’s power and humanity’s innovation to advance our society and meet many national challenges. We design new ways to understand and solve problems, and our solutions advance the next wave of innovation and growth. Learn more at SME.org, or follow SME on X/Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

About IOScholarships

IOScholarships is the premier online scholarship platform for diverse undergraduate, graduate and professional STEM students. We provide a free intuitive, user friendly scholarship matching experience for Hispanic American, African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander and other diverse students in STEM. Learn more at IOScholarships.com.