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 May 2020.

How to Build a Better Child Care System
The New York Times, May 29, 2020
Dr. Shantel Meek, founding director of the Children’s Equity Project, co-authored this opinion piece about “the current clamor about child care’s role in restarting the American economy,” and how public systems should focus on improving access to high-quality child care. The Children’s Equity Project is supported by the Foundation’s Education program.

Battle Between Trump and California Over Car Pollution Heads to Court
Los Angeles Times, May 27, 2020
“This rollback will result in billions of tons of additional emissions of the heat-trapping gases that cause global warming, making the already difficult problem of climate change much harder to solve,” said Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) President Ken Kimmell. UCS has joined the lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to weaken fuel efficiency standards. UCS is supported by the Foundation’s Climate and Clean Energy program.

Astronomers Confirm Existence of Two Giant, Newborn Planets in PDS 70 System
National Science Foundation, May 20, 2020
Heising-Simons Foundation 51 Pegasi b Fellow Jason Wang is the lead author of an article published in The Astronomical Journal that presents the first-ever images of two planets orbiting the star PDS 70. This star is “the first known multiplanetary system where astronomers can witness planet formation in action.”

Once Again into the Northwest Passage
EOS.org, May 19, 2020
This article details the Northwest Passage Project’s successful research and outreach expedition to document the impact of climate change on the Arctic Ocean. The Northwest Passage Project is supported by the Foundation’s Science program.

Americans See Climate as a Concern, Even Amid Coronavirus Crisis
The New York Times, May 19, 2020
According to a new national survey by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (YPCCC), the American public’s positions on climate change have remained “largely unshaken by the coronavirus pandemic and economic crisis,” suggesting that climate change has become an enduring cause of concern. YPCCC is supported by the Foundation’s Climate and Clean Energy program.

A Very American Form of Essential Work: Gun-Violence Prevention
City Metric, May 15, 2020
This article highlights the work of Advance Peace to help de-escalate potentially violent conflicts in communities across California amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to their core job, these essential workers also help deliver food, protective gear, and public health information about COVID-19. Advance Peace is supported by the Foundation’s Community and Opportunity program.

Turning a Blind Eye Toward Pre-K Is a Mistake
Richmond Times-Dispatch, May 13, 2020
This opinion piece highlights the National Institute for Early Education Research’s (NIIER) latest State of Preschool Yearbook in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Early childhood education should be a top-of-mind concern,” associate editor Chris Gentilviso writes, “and there is no distance learning bandage for our kids’ critical development before age 5.” NIEER is supported by the Foundation’s Education program.

Report for America and NAJA Partner to Strengthen Coverage on Indigenous Affairs
Editor and Publisher, May 12, 2020
Report for America and the Native American Journalists Association (NAJA) have partnered to to “place and support 19 reporting positions in newsrooms across the country to focus on Indigenous affairs.” Both organizations are supported by the Foundation’s Community and Opportunity program.

SJSU Student Activists Celebrate County’s Cannabis-Conviction Clearance
San Jose Spotlight, May 11, 2020
Santa Clara County has eliminated more than 13,000 cannabis-related convictions, and the feat is in part due to San Jose State University’s Students Against Mass Incarceration group. The Foundation’s Community and Opportunity program supports a social action internship program at SJSU that informed the students’ efforts.

“People Are Really Suffering”: Black and Latino Communities Help Their Own Amid Coronavirus Crisis
USA Today, May 9, 2020
This article highlights the work of Project South in serving Black and Latino residents in Atlanta with COVID-19 testing and health supplies. Project South is supported by the Foundation’s Human Rights program.

Who Will Watch the Kids? Bay Area Child Care Programs Shutting Down, Leaving Working Parents with a Dilemma
San Francisco Chronicle, May 8, 2020
UC Berkeley’s Center for the Study of Child Care Employment’s (CSCCE) latest survey shows the potentially disastrous impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on child care providers operating in the Bay Area. CSCCE is supported by the Foundation’s Education program.

Unprecedented Clear Skies Drove Remarkable Melting in Greenland
EOS.org, May 5, 2020
Climate scientist Marco Tedesco’s work is highlighted in this article that explores the impact of atmospheric conditions on the Greenland Ice Sheet, which accounts for almost 80 percent of Greenland’s surface. Dr. Tedesco’s research is supported by the Foundation’s Science program.

Anchorage Daily News, ProPublica Win Pulitzer Prize for Investigation on Sexual Violence
CNN Business, May 4, 2020
Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica have been awarded this year’s Pulitzer Prize in the public service category, for a collaborative investigation about sexual violence in Alaska. ProPublica is supported by the Foundation’s Community and Opportunity program.