Amgen

The Amgen Foundation seeks to advance science education; improve patient access to quality care; and strengthen the communities where Amgen staff members live and work. Since 1991, the Foundation has made more than $200 million in grants to local, regional, and national nonprofit organizations that impact society in inspiring and innovative ways. It has also supported disaster relief efforts both domestically and internationally. 

 1)    Amgen Scholars Program – Continuing its mission to advance science education, the Amgen Foundation has partnered with 13 of the world’s leading universities to provide hundreds of selected undergraduate students an opportunity to engage in a hands-on summer research experience. Amgen Scholars is a $34 million, eight-year program that provides pivotal research experiences for undergraduate students interested in pursuing a graduate degree and a career in science. The program supports the participation of over 300 Amgen Scholars each year across the U.S. and Europe, with over 1,400 undergraduates from nearly 400 colleges and universities participating to date. A signature component of the summer program is a summer symposium where students hear firsthand from leading scientists working in industry and academia.  Amgen Scholars from across the US meet in California, while Amgen Scholars from across Europe convene in England.  Both symposiums provide undergraduates with a valuable opportunity to network with other Amgen Scholars from across the U.S. or Europe. To date, over 85% of Amgen Scholar alumni who have graduated from college are now pursuing an advanced degree or a career in science or engineering. 

2)    Amgen-Bruce Wallace Biotechnology Lab Program – The Amgen-Bruce Wallace Biotechnology Lab Program is an educational outreach program that transforms classrooms in middle and high schools by introducing students to the excitement of real-world science. The program integrates a hands-on, inquiry-based molecular biology curriculum that explores the steps involved in creating biotechnology medicines. In addition to intensive professional development for teachers, the program provides state-of-the-art resources and materials that enable teachers to implement the curriculum in their classrooms. Each year, over 35,000 students and hundreds of teachers have the opportunity to participate in Amgen communities across the nation.

3)    Teach For America Math & Science Partnership / Amgen Fellows Program -The Amgen Foundation is Teach For America’s Founding National Math and Science Partner.  Since 2004, the Amgen Foundation has contributed more than $7 million to Teach For America to advance math and science education in America’s underserved public schools. Through the collaboration, Teach For America has more than tripled the number of corps members teaching math and science, from 800 in 2004 to more than 2,600 today. These committed math and science teachers are impacting more than 166,000 students across 39 regions.  Additionally, 2,200 math and science alumni continue to advocate for educational equity as leaders in a variety of professional fields.

4)    National Board for Professional Teaching Standards – The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) and the Amgen Foundation joined forces to improve highly-effective science teaching and learning in schools across the country. Through a $1.5 million, three-year commitment, the Foundation supports sciences teachers who choose to obtain National Board Certification, the most prestigious credential in the teaching profession.   The grant provides certification fee support for over 500 science teachers in the following Amgen communities: Ventura County and San Francisco Bay Area in California; counties along Colorado’s Front Range; Jefferson County in Kentucky; Middlesex and Suffolk Counties in Massachusetts; Puerto Rico; Rhode Island; and King and South Snohomish Counties in Washington. In addition, the grant supports the development of three new online professional development courses to improve science teaching for middle school and high school teachers across the nation.

5)    Amgen Award for Science Teaching Excellence – The Amgen Award for Science Teaching Excellence (AASTE) is an annual awards program that recognizes extraordinary contributions by educators across the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada who are elevating the level of science literacy through creativity in the classroom and motivation of students. Since the program’s inception in 1992, Amgen has awarded over $3 million to public and private school science teachers, grades K-12, in communities in which Amgen operates. Following an extensive judging process, 9 science teachers will be chosen for the award. The winners from select communities in California, Colorado, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Washington, Puerto Rico and Canada will receive an unrestricted cash award of $5,000 USD or $5,000 CAD and the recipient’s school will receive a restricted grant of $5,000 USD or $5,000 CAD to be utilized for the expansion or enhancement of a school science program, for science resources, or for the professional development of the school’s science teachers.

6)    Teachers’ Domain / Biotechnology Collection – Funded by a grant from the Amgen Foundation, Teachers’ Domain launched a new special Biotechnology collection and online course designed to deepen the teaching and learning of biotechnology in middle and high schools.  Teachers’ Domain, with over 650,000 registered users in over 188 countries, is an online library of over 3,000 free media resources and online professional development courses.