These funds, secured through the Office of the Resident Commissioner in Washington, will enable Vimenti to create and strengthen STEM spaces in three additional schools within the Full-Service Community Schools program, as part of its ongoing efforts to identify and secure resources for Puerto Rico’s public schools.
San Juan, Puerto Rico (October 7, 2026) – Vimenti recently announced that it applied for and received approval for the Next Generation STEM Learning Lab Accelerator project, a $1,031,000 grant awarded by the United States House Committee on Appropriations for the development of libraries and STEM spaces. The funds, secured through a Community Project Funding application submitted by the Office of the Resident Commissioner in Washington, Pablo José Hernández Rivera, will benefit Vimenti and three additional schools within the Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) program in Puerto Rico.
“We thank Resident Commissioner Pablo José Hernández Rivera and his team for the trust they have placed in this project. This achievement reaffirms our commitment to continue identifying and securing resources that will enable more public schools in Puerto Rico to provide excellent spaces, tools, and educational opportunities for their students, teachers, and families,” said Bárbara Rivera Batista, executive director of Vimenti.
With these funds, Vimenti will launch STEM spaces aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and Puerto Rico’s standards, integrating robotics, astronomy, Earth and space sciences, as well as artificial intelligence and data tools, into the curriculum. The initiative includes professional development for teaching staff at each school, ensuring STEM spaces remain sustainable after the grant period ends. Collectively, the project will reach four schools in the FSCS program, in coordination with the Puerto Rico Department of Education.
The STEM resources and spaces will serve students who, for the most part, come from communities with high levels of child poverty and limited access to specialized educational infrastructure. Through these spaces, schools can integrate hands-on learning experiences that strengthen academic skills, foster scientific curiosity, and expand development opportunities from an early age, aligning instruction with the real needs of their school communities.
“This grant confirms what the Full-Service Community School model can achieve when given the necessary support. Our commitment is that these STEM resources and spaces will remain in each school, sustained by their own teams, long after the funding ends,” said Lola Yglesias Quiñones, Director of Expansion at Vimenti.
The initiative was the focus of the Resident Commissioner’s October 6 visit to Vimenti’s facilities, where he toured the premises, spoke with students, families, and teachers, and met with the organization’s leadership.
“I’ve been saying for weeks that we have to prioritize the basics, and education is a basic need. Our children are failing in the core subjects of Spanish, English, science, and math. This type of funding helps address that problem,” said the Resident Commissioner.
###
About Vimenti:
From its community-based hub, Vimenti delivers high-quality, student-centered education alongside workforce development and comprehensive family support. Together, these services generate sustainable outcomes and build long-term pathways to family stability, well-being, and economic mobility. To amplify its impact, Vimenti strengthens and expands the core components of its model by connecting communities to resources and opportunities, creating the conditions for families to thrive. For more information about Vimenti, go to www.vimenti.org. For donations, go to www.vimenti.org/donate.