Member Spotlight: Genentech and SF State University
A $10.5 million, five-year grant to San Francisco State University from the nonprofit foundation of biotech powerhouse Genentech Inc. is aimed at directly supporting 100 undergraduate and graduate students a year from populations under-represented in the sciences. The largest grant in the 18-year history of the Genentech Foundation is designed to provide stipends and other financial support — especially for students of color, including so-called undocumented “dreamers” who entered the United States as children. It is intended to help them concentrate on their schoolwork, buy a computer or attend scientific conferences to guide them toward the next step in their academic work or careers.
The gift, disclosed publicly Wednesday but in place since last year, comes as Bay Area companies grapple with the region’s high cost of living and a widening gap between haves and have-nots. Meanwhile, the booming economy has made it difficult for some companies to attract and retain workers. The impact of addressing that, foundation chair and Council Executive Committee member Carla Boragno said, could be long lasting. “It’s not just writing a check,” Boragno said. “Our vision and mission is to see how we can disrupt the poverty cycle by supporting students at different parts of the educational journey.”
