Founded in 1966, the Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) is the leading organization devoted to celebrating Chicago as a center of architectural innovation. Girls Build! is the CAC’s unique STEAM-based program designed to engage girls ages 12 to 15 in exploring the built environment through hands-on, digitally robust activities and exposure to women in science, technology, engineering, architecture, and construction fields. The program, offered as six-week sessions and week-long camps at locations across Chicago, provides girls with personalized training and feedback on their design work to increase their self-efficacy. Since 2016, GB! has served more than 500 girls from 250 schools.

Paving the way for the next generation of innovators by connecting students to industries and developing a stronger, more inclusive talent pipeline in Illinois. With the contribution from the Kathy Bolhous Foundation, ISTC hosted a summer cohort for girls and non-binary students as part of the 6×3 Project series. This inaugural group of young innovators worked for six weeks designing an app to disseminate information about adhesions with the goal of reducing surgical complications among underrepresented patients. Through each ISTC program, students leverage mentorship to not only explore the world of STEM but build relationships and social connections to strengthen their own identities in STEM pathways.

Committed to empowering women to thrive in their personal and professional lives through one on one mentorship and curated skill development resources The Women’s Mentoring Co-op is where women connect, innovate, and grow in an incredibly supportive environment. The Bolhous Foundation funding supported scholarships to a number of visionary low-income women as well as mentorship and career building resources to under-resourced participants, empowering them to reach their goals.

As part of the Chicago Roadmap initiative with Chicago Public Schools (CPS), and with generous funding from the Bolhous Foundation, CCC and CPS are helping middle school girls see themselves in STEM. Through a series of Career Spotlight days at each of the seven City Colleges, up to 300 students take a deep dive into STEM careers with opportunities for hands-on exploration, campus tours, and networking with college leadership and employers. There is an emphasis to provide a space for middle school girls to experience STEM pathways, and that early exposure opportunities are the most successful in opening their minds to future possibilities.

YWCA Metropolitan Chicago’s TechGYRLS is a multi-week, project-based learning program that encourages young women and girl-identifying individuals ages 8-14 to explore their curiosities about Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math, take calculated risks, create leadership opportunities, and envision a broad range of possibilities for their futures. TechGYRLS partners with industry leaders in the STEAM and tech fields for curriculum resources, training, and activities that help youth learn problem solving, critical thinking, and creativity as well as incorporating social-emotional learning (SEL) interventions designed to strengthen mental and emotional resilience to prepare participants for long-term academic and social-emotional success.