National Grid and Thimble.io pair up to provide STEM experiences for hundreds of children in the communities they serve.
National Grid is a forward-thinking energy company serving the New York and Massachusetts areas. They are committed to providing safe, reliable,and sustainable energy solutions. The company has philanthropic goals aimed at enhancing the quality of life in the communities they serve. National Grid’s goals include promoting education, supporting healthy community development, and fostering a clean-energy future.
Through charitable partnerships with organizations like Thimble.io, National Grid seeks to inspire young minds, particularly in underserved communities. These educational STEM initiatives are, in part, to encourage young people to join in on innovations that move the world toward clean energy and contribute to the utility and energy industries.
Strong, local collaboration for STEM: National Grid and Thimble.io unite for community impact.
Natalie Terhaar, a Community Relations Manager at National Grid discovered Thimble.io after reading about its participation in the 43 North Investment competition. Intrigued by Thimble.io’s mission and commitment to diversity, Terhaar reached out to company CEO Oscar Pedroso. This introduction initiated a powerful partnership between Thimble.io and National Grid – a partnership with a ripple effect that would benefit hundreds of children for years to come.
Terhaar had previously noted a recurring challenge when providing educational opportunities and supplies through their grant program. Tech curriculum supplements granted to National Grid’s education partners were often unused or underutilized due to a lack of hands-on training and adequate support for the products supplied. Teachers and program leaders struggled to implement the provided curriculum effectively.
To address this issue, National Grid sought a local company in New York that could offer hands-on STEM kits and also the user support needed to ensure successful implementation. Finding Thimble.io ensured that National Grid’s grant funding would support local businesses and community members, and provide an easily accessible resource for questions and support.
Thimble.io excels in customer support and on-site availability while providing comprehensive STEM kits.
With multiple generous grants, Thimble.io was able to customize demo kits for National Grid. The custom kits were tailored specifically to National Grid’s objective of engaging students in the clean energy movement and the utility industry by showcasing the reactions and basic functionality of solar panels, wind turbines, and saltwater batteries.
The grants also allowed National Grid and Thimble.io to distribute Thimble.io’s classic soldering badges and high-quality robotics kits to various schools and community organizations across their service area. These comprehensive kits contain high quality components that are able to be used repetitively, making this one-time investment a recurring reward for receiving organizations.
Thimble.io’s hands-on assistance and boots-on-the-ground support made them the ideal solution for National Grid’s previous implementation challenges. Their local availability coupled with their commitment to supporting educators and diverse youth organizations set them apart from other providers.
Thimble.io’s robotics kits came with step-by-step instructions, coding exercises, and all of the necessary components for a complete build- making it easy for teachers and program leaders to integrate the curriculum into their classrooms and STEM Summer Camps. Thimble.io’s team of experts provided training sessions and personalized support. Interns and even Thimble.io’s CEO were able to go directly to schools and events to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with National Grid employee volunteers, educators, and students to assist when needed.
National Grid and Thimble.io’s shared commitment to diversity in STEM promote accessibility and impact for underserved students.
As a company, National Grid is extremely mindful of diversity in STEM, specifically in the utility and energy space. “National Grid is committed to funding schools and nonprofits to engage youth throughout a variety of STEM-related programs, some of which target girls and others in underrepresented communities. It’s equally important that our own employees are engaged during these volunteer events, where we share our expertise and experience, and make it a fun learning environment.” says Terhaar of National Grid’s philanthropic ventures.
In accordance with their values, working with a local, MWBE-owned company like Thimble.io was a rewarding partnership for National Grid. Thimble.io is making coding, engineering design, and robotics accessible to students who may face a multitude of barriers when pursuing STEM education or occupations.
With a similar dedication to supporting STEM education, National Grid’s partnership with Thimble.io was immeasurably impactful. Since the inception of their relationship in 2016, National Grid has awarded Thimble.io a total of six separate grants. These grants have provided over $50,000 in funding, empowering Thimble.io to distribute more than 700 high-quality STEM kits to underserved students, particularly those from marginalized communities in the New York City area. Student engagement at schools and events was noteworthy.
The impact of National Grid’s support goes beyond simple financial assistance. Their commitment to corporate social responsibility is helping Thimble.io empower students and cultivate a diverse talent pool for the utility and energy industries. Thimble.io’s CEO, Oscar Pedroso, is a STEM professional from an underrepresented demographic and understands the importance of providing opportunities to students who may face challenges when pursuing STEM education. His personal commitment to diversity in the field resonates with National Grid’s mission to inspire young minds and create a future workforce that can drive the utility industry into the next era – one dedicated to cleaner energy and a healthier world. Both companies understand that fostering a diverse workforce will produce diverse benefits for generations to come.
“Thimble.io was the only local company that was manufacturing the kinds of STEM kits that we were looking for, and we’re thrilled to have built such a dynamic partnership. I loved working with Oscar and his team, an MWBE-owned company. He was very attentive and always had interns prepared, ready to attend events and provide assistance. The experience was great.”
Natalie Terhaar, Community Relations Manager
National Grid
As National Grid continues pushing towards more sustainable sources of energy, like its Offshore Winds initiatives, Thimble.io continues working tirelessly to reach students nationwide – inspiring curiosity and introducing middle and high-school students to career paths in STEM.
If you’d like to see how Thimble.io’s carefully curated STEM programming could support your organization, simply schedule a free demo with our experts today! Partner with us to make STEM diversity a reality.