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Making Headlines: Grantees in the News, June 2019

The Heising-Simons Foundation is proud to regularly see its grantee partners featured in media outlets across the country, providing an expert voice on a timely issue or being highlighted for their accomplishments and hard work. Here are some news items that have featured our grantees in June 2019.

People of Color Live With 66 Percent More Air Pollution, US Study Finds
The Guardian, June 27, 2019
A new report by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) has found that “people of color in the American north-east and mid-Atlantic are living with 66% more air pollution from vehicles than white residents.” UCS is supported by the Foundation’s Climate and Clean Energy program. 

This World Is a Simmering Hellscape. They’ve Been Watching Its Explosions.
The New York Times, June 26, 2019
2017 51 Pegasi b Fellow Katherine de Kleer and her team have released a five-year record of the volcanic activity of Io, one of Jupiter’s moons. Io is fourth largest moon in our solar system, and is also its most volcanically active body. Dr. de Kleer’s work is supported through the Foundation’s 51 Pegasi b Fellowship program.

Supreme Court Orders Documents Unsealed in Death Penalty Case
National Public Radio, June 24, 2019
On June 7, 2019, National Public Radio and Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP) asked the U.S. Supreme Court to unseal significantly redacted legal briefs in a case regarding Alabama’s lethal injections protocol, which is used in death penalty executions. RCFP is supported by the Foundation’s Community and Opportunity program.

Children Shouldn’t Be Dying at the Border. Here’s How You Can Help
The New York Times, June 24, 2019
“The stalemate on immigration is a choice that Americans do not have to accept,” the New York Times Editorial Board writes in this piece that mentions the expertise of organizations like Mijente and National Immigration Law Center (NILC) in supporting immigrant families in the United States. Mijente and NILC are supported by the Foundation’s Human Rights program.

EPA Finalizes Its Plan to Replace Obama-Era Climate Rules
The New York Times, June 19, 2019
Jody Freeman at Harvard University’s Environment & Energy Law program is quoted in this article about the Environmental Protection Agency’s new plan to rollback Obama-era national restrictions on carbon emissions. The article also mentions a report by the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) that estimates that the new plan “could lead to as many as 5,200 premature deaths annually by 2030.” Harvard’s Environmental & Energy Law Program and NRDC are supported by the Foundation’s Climate & Clean Energy program.

California Set to Provide Health Coverage to Some Undocumented Immigrants
CNN, June 10, 2019
California Immigrant Policy Center (CIPC) is quoted in this article about California becoming the first state to extend Medicaid health coverage to some undocumented young adults. CIPC is supported by the Foundation’s Human Rights program.

TheatreWorks Has its Tony Moment at Radio City Music Hall
San Francisco Chronicle, June 9, 2019
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley has received a 2019 Regional Theatre Tony Away, a major milestone as it gears to celebrate its 50thanniversary season this fall. TheatreWorks Silicon Valley is supported by the Foundation’s Community and Opportunity program.

“Nothing is Standard About What We’re Doing.” A New Fund Aims to Boost Racial Equity Training
Inside Philanthropy, June 5, 2019
Borealis Philanthropy has launched its Racial Equity to Accelerate Change (REACH) Fund to provide racial equity training to nonprofits in the United States. Maya Thornell-Sandior, co-director of racial equity initiatives at Borealis explains that they are “simultaneously building the capacity of the racial equity training field and creating a feedback loop to educate the donors themselves about what the field needs.” REACH is supported by the Foundation’s Community and Opportunity program.

Putting the Squeeze on Axions
Physics Today, June 1, 2019
Karl van Bibber (University of California, Berkeley), Konrad Lehnert (University of Colorado, Boulder), and Aaron Chou (Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory) have co-written an article that synthesizes the ongoing scientific findings related to dark matter research, including their own projects. The work of these scientists is supported by the Foundation’s Science program.