51 Pegasi b Fellow Jason Dittmann Discovers Temperate Super-Earth Exoplanet Share By Heising-Simons Foundation on 4/21/2017 on 4/21/2017 In a remarkable discovery, researchers have found a new exoplanet 39 light-years away that shows promise for life beyond our solar system. Jason Dittmann, lead author of the paper in Nature and an inaugural 51 Pegasi b Fellow, calls the discovery “the most exciting exoplanet I’ve seen in the last decade.” The new rocky exoplanet, …
Heising-Simons Foundation Grants to Strengthen and Sustain Journalism Share By Heising-Simons Foundation on 4/4/2017 on 4/4/2017 In this country’s infancy, the founders recognized the value of journalism as an institution to keep the new government in check…
Looking Back at 2016: An Interactive Infographic Share By Heising-Simons Foundation on 3/30/2017 on 3/30/2017 For the Heising-Simons Foundation, 2016 was a year of expansion. Our team grew, we added Human Rights and Community to our program areas, and the total amount we awarded increased to more than $54.8 million. We are deeply grateful to our grantees and partners for their continuous hard work and commitment to advance sustainable solutions …
Yale Releases Updated Maps of Public Opinion on Climate Change Share By Heising-Simons Foundation on 3/22/2017 on 3/22/2017 A team of scientists at the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (YCCC) has developed a series of interactive maps to depict Americans’ views on climate issues in 50 states, 435 congressional districts, 300 counties, and 916 metro areas. These maps are based on data through the year 2016 and are accessible to the public here. …
Emergency Relief Efforts to Support San Jose Flood Victims Share By Heising-Simons Foundation on 3/17/2017 on 3/17/2017 This past February, during one of the wettest winters in California on record, thousands of residents in San Jose were forced to evacuate their homes due to extreme flooding. The event also caused significant damage to public and private property. In response to the flooding, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF) and the City of …
A Commitment to Advance STEM Education Share By Heising-Simons Foundation on 3/8/2017 on 3/8/2017 The Foundation’s Education program officer Kimberly Brenneman, who focuses on early math, joined a list of more than 100 leaders who have signed an open letter publicly supporting strong science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) teachers and STEM education for all children in America. The letter is part of a nonpartisan national effort known as 100Kin10 that emerged in 2011 …
Foundation Joins Voices Calling for Inclusive Immigration Policies Share By Heising-Simons Foundation on 3/8/2017 on 3/8/2017 The Heising-Simons Foundation has joined more than 190 philanthropic institutions calling for immigration policies that “reflect our nation’s founding principles, promote cohesion and inclusion, instill hope, and show compassion.” The statement was issued by Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR), of which the Foundation is a member. GCIR works with a growing network of member foundations, as well …
Human Rights Grantee The Marshall Project Receives Journalism Award Share By Heising-Simons Foundation on 2/24/2017 on 2/24/2017 Last year, an investigation by Christie Thompson of The Marshall Project and Joseph Shapiro of National Public Radio found out that many state and federal prisons in the United States have been doubling up inmates in solitary confinement, to dire consequences. This month, these two journalists received the 2017 George Polk Award in Justice Reporting for their …
Guest Post: Making Math Count More for Latino Children Share By Heising-Simons Foundation on 2/9/2017 on 2/9/2017 If demographics are destiny, my family was headed for educational failure. All the signs pointed to struggle. Low-income? Check. Parents without education beyond high school? Check. A primary language other than English? Check. And parents who didn’t read to their children? Check.