Authored by Brendan McDonald via Campus Reform,

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that it is awarding $7.2 million to several universities to promote “diversity” in certain fields.

NASA revealed in a Sept. 19 press release that the funds are meant to “grow initiatives in engineering-related disciplines and fields for learners who have historically been underrepresented and underserved in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.”

The six schools receiving the funds are Alabama A&M, Morgan State–Baltimore, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State, Central Florida, Colorado-Denver, and Houston Universities.

Shahra Lambert, NASA’s senior advisor for engagement and equity, celebrated the announcement of the grants. 

“NASA is excited to award funding to six minority-serving institutions, paving the way for greater diversity in engineering and STEM,” she said.

“NASA is committed to fostering diversity and providing essential academic resources to empower the next generation of innovators.”

NASA has an office dedicated to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).

“Diversity and inclusion are integral to mission success at NASA,” the Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity’s website states.

“Our commitment to these principles helps us to ensure fairness and equity in decision making.”

Campus Reform has previously reported on other federal agencies granting funds on the basis of DEI principles. 

The National Science Foundation has handed out millions of dollars to promote DEI, including a $3.5 million grant to increase diversity in STEM at Molloy University in New York and $4.5 million for Louisiana State University for the formation of a “Center for Equity in Faculty Advancement.”

In August, the Department of Education announced that it would give out more than $40 million to institutions of higher education to “advance equity or participant outcomes.”

In March, Campus Reform reported that the National Institutes of Health uses a commitment to diversity to help determine which researchers at colleges and universities would receive taxpayer funds.

Campus Reform contacted NASA and each school that received money from the grants for comment. This story will be updated accordingly.