Level Playing Field Institute's leadership in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) summer enrichment programs for high-potential, low-income high school students of color depends on your generosity.

• How does investing affect LPFI's Budget?
  Gifts to LPFI include investment in our Summer Math and Sciene Honors Academy, SMASH, our research and evaluation department, which not only examines inequity in access and opportunity across K-12, Higher Education, and Workplace contexts in order to improve outcomes for underrepresented students, particularly in STEM, but evaluates the efficacy and outcomes of each SMASH site.
  
  
• How does investing help specific SMASH sites?
  Gifts can be directed to support existing SMASH sites, UC Berkeley and Stanford, or to support the launch of future sites in Southern California, New England, Baltimore, Austin, New York and Chicago.  With your investment each new SMASH site will benefit from the core features of the original SMASH sites - our rigorous inquiry-based STEM curriculum, top-notch instructors and RAs, a robust residential advising component that supports the needs of our unique scholars - and will bring its own site-specific additions, ej a focus on entrepreneurship. 
  
  
• How does investing ensure that SMASH scholars will persist in a STEM field?
  Your investment in our scholars does not end when they enter college.  Although SMASH is for high school students, LPFI's goal is that our scholars graduate from college and are prepared to enter graduate school and the workforce in a STEM field.  To that end, LPFI has partnered with Beyond 12 to support our SMASH scholars through their sophomore year in college. Through its longitudinal student tracking platform and personalized student coaching service, Beyond 12 helps us to provide our scholars with the academic, social and emotional support they need to succeed in higher education.