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Author: Heising-Simons Foundation

Mitigating Bias in a Fellowship Evaluation Process: the Case Study of 51 Pegasi b

In 2017, we launched 51 Pegasi b, a postdoctoral fellowship program providing exceptional scientists with the opportunity to conduct theoretical, observational, and experimental research in planetary astronomy. But despite the Foundation’s genuine commitment to advance women in the fields of physics and astronomy, we encountered serious diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) challenges. Determined to do better, …

Cyndi Atherton Appointed to the Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate of the National Academy of Sciences

Cyndi Atherton, the Foundation’s director of Science, has been appointed to the Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (BASC) of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine.

Supporting the Next Generation of Bay Area Nonprofit Leaders

Cultivating homegrown talent to serve as the next generation of executive directors for community nonprofits in Silicon Valley is challenging, due the high cost of living and lack of resources to run extensive leadership development programs. At the same time, it’s important for agencies critical to the region’s well-being to retain leadership talent rooted in, and reflective of, the communities they serve.

Making Headlines: Grantees in the News, October 2019

The Heising-Simons Foundation is proud to regularly see its grantee partners featured in media outlets across the country, providing an expert voice on a timely issue or being highlighted for their accomplishments and hard work. Here are some news items that have featured our grantees in October 2019.

New Telescope Installed at McDonald Observatory, Texas

A new, 1-meter telescope—funded by the Heising-Simons Foundation’s Science program—has been installed at the University of Texas at Austin’s McDonald Observatory. The telescope is part of the Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO) global network of robotic telescopes, and the second of a pair located at the McDonald Observatory.

School Superintendents Pledge to Prioritize Attendance in the Early Grades

Getting children off to school in the morning can be tough. Challenges like unreliable transportation, housing insecurity, or recurring health issues for either children or parents are some of the major barriers that keep students away from the classroom. What is less known is that chronic absenteeism (missing two school days or more every month) …

2019 Home Visiting Yearbook Released

Grantee partner National Home Visiting Resource Center (NHVRC) has released the 2019 Home Visiting Yearbook, which presents the most comprehensive landscape of home visiting at the national and state levels.

Making Headlines: Grantees in the News, September 2019

The Heising-Simons Foundation is proud to regularly see its grantee partners featured in media outlets across the country, providing an expert voice on a timely issue or being highlighted for their accomplishments and hard work. Here are some news items that have featured our grantees in September 2019.

Grants Approved in the Third Quarter of 2019

At the Heising-Simons Foundation, we are proud of the grants and partnerships we develop to advance the issues we care about, and we believe in being transparent about our grantmaking with our partners and the public.