Impact Grant
Change is Simple
3-year $100,000 impact grant (2018-2021)
change is simple (cis), massachusettS
Mobile Sustainability & Climate Innovation Learning Lab (SCiLL)
Woodard & Curran Foundation is thrilled to support this exciting project by Change is Simple (CiS). Headquartered in Beverly, MA, CiS is transforming at-risk elementary & middle schools classrooms in eastern Massachusetts into ecosystems and construction zones, and encouraging kids to become scientists and engineers. As the 2018 Impact Grant recipient, CiS will use the $100,000 over three years to build a one-of-a-kind Mobile Sustainability & Climate Innovation Learning Lab trailer that will visit schools in the Greater Boston area and educate children on environmental topics. CiS focuses on at-risk youth in communities that are particularly vulnerable to climate change, teaching kids to use real-world science tools and project-based learning to inspire them to achieve academic success and become mindful participants in creating a more sustainable future.
about change is simple (CiS) and the
the climate innovation learning lab
CiS teaches the science of living sustainably through a hands-on STEM program. Partnering with Northeastern University, they train and mobilize college science students to mentor elementary children in their classrooms. While developing interest and skills in science, children learn how to live more environmentally conscious lives and become champions for sustainability at home and in their community.
Imagine being a 6th grader… the SCiLL trailer pulls up to your school: a solar awning slides out from the roof, creating an outdoor classroom with a video projected onto the side of the trailer. You board the mobile lab, see a 3D interactive watershed model that has water running through it. Your class gathers around a long lab table and CiS educators present an environmental challenge. Your class has to develop a solution to that challenge - working with a college mentor from a Boston area university, and an expert scientist or engineer volunteering from a local company. You’ll develop your ideas and work toward a solution with your team; you’re instantly transformed into a scientist and engineer working alongside experts and mentors. Welcome aboard SCiLL, where you’ll be empowered with knowledge and skills to make real change for our planet, and be inspired to strive for academic and career success.
what the teachers say about the change is simple experience…
Here’s what Boston-area teachers are saying about welcoming Change is Simple into their classrooms. Woodard & Curran Foundation is proud to support CiS’s work with a 3-year, $100K Impact Grant.