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2024 Recap: IEEE Foundation

IEEE Foundation 2024 Recap

IEEE Foundation activities moved forward in a year of tremendous progress

Following the IEEE Foundation’s milestone 50th anniversary in 2023, donors and volunteers around the globe made 2024 a memorable year by driving a diverse and proactive array of activities and achievements that will positively impact beneficiaries for generations to come. With the addition of 16 new funds in 2024, the IEEE Foundation continues to expand IEEE’s global charitable impact, supporting new and established opportunities for IEEE programs to advance technology for the benefit of humanity. 

A special highlight of 2024 was the inaugural celebration of IEEE Foundation Day on 16 February, the anniversary of the IEEE Foundation’s founding in 1973. The day was a resounding success and will be celebrated annually going forward. Ralph Ford, who completed his term as President of the IEEE Foundation Board of Directors at the end of 2024, championed IEEE Foundation Day: “The day connects to our vision to be the heart of IEEE charitable giving and philanthropy, and more importantly, acknowledges the donors and volunteers who make IEEE philanthropic programs possible, as well as the program beneficiaries whose lives have been transformed.”

Through the generosity of the IEEE Jon C. Taenzer Memorial Fund, established thanks to a bequest from the Fund namesake, two new initiatives were launched, including The Spectrum Assistive Technologies Fellowship Program and the Bengaluru Mobility Challenge 2024, an IEEE Dataport Data Competition, as was the continual investment in service learning through the EPICS in IEEE Access and Abilities projects

The Foundation continued its proud tradition of actively participating in IEEE-wide initiatives. For IEEE Education Week in April, a blog highlighting five beneficiaries of the Educate Pillar program who are now giving back to the community was published. In honor of both IEEE Day and IEEE History Week, a virtual history lecture was co-hosted with the IEEE History Center to commemorate IEEE’s 140th anniversary. The lecture “From Artificial Light to Artificial Intelligence: Reflecting on 140 Years of IEEE History” explored the organization’s rich heritage.

In September, 31 volunteers and staff representing 11 IEEE programs came together for the Foundation’s inaugural IEEE philanthropic workshop to learn and strengthen collaboration. In December, the IEEE community demonstrated its heart and passion for IEEE programs by giving more than US$209,000 toward the #IEEEGivingTuesday campaign.

The Foundation continued to gratefully acknowledge the generosity of committed donors with recognition through the IEEE Heritage Circle and IEEE Goldsmith Legacy League while highlighting donor impact with in-depth donor profiles. Helpful educational resources were created for donors, including the Forever Generous planned giving newsletter, an updated Giving Guide, and numerous articles highlighting Ways to Give. Additionally, the Foundation hosted an in-person Planned Giving seminar with financial planning expert David Sandhu, Senior Wealth Advisor, EverSource Wealth Advisors (read David’s expert tips here), and a webinar with IEEE Heritage Circle members Darcy Immerman, Senior Vice President, Growth Strategy, Noresco; and Tina Mertel, Founder and Executive Coach, Facilitator, Meaningful Coaching.

IEEE Foundation Board and staff members attended and presented at IEEE conferences and events around the world to share the impact donors make on IEEE’s philanthropic programs. Some of the notable events included the IEEE Vision, Innovation, and Challenges Summit and Honors Ceremony, where we were honored to celebrate the top 2024 IEEE honorees, IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society (AP-S) International Symposium where we promoted the AP-S newly launched Talent Development Fund, IEEE Region 1 and 2 Student Activities Conference where we hosted a donor-supported funding opportunity panel, IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference, and several Milestone Dedication Ceremonies, among many others.

Below, we are thrilled to share programmatic highlights from 2024 organized according to the IEEE Foundation’s five pillars of impact: Illuminate, Educate, Energize, Engage, and Future. Many of the Foundation’s program partners marked milestone anniversaries in 2024, illustrating the enduring impact key funding and astute stewardship provide.

ILLUMINATE the possibilities of technology by using it to address global challenges

  • IEEE Smart Village, founded in 2009, continued its 15-year tradition of driving impact in remote parts of the world. Highlights from 2024 included: deployment of large mini-grids by Darway Coast Nigeria, one of Smart Village’s longest and most productive partners; SunMoksha Ltd. implemented solar smart irrigation in Odisha, India, increasing farmers’ annual income from US$350 to US$1,000; and the commissioning of the first initiative in China, funded through the generosity of an onsemi grant.
  • EPICS in IEEE, launched in 2009, celebrated its 15th year of supporting students and service-learning opportunities. Since its inception, EPICS in IEEE has distributed more than US$1 million in funding and supported 255 student-led service-learning projects in 39 countries. In 2024, EPICS in IEEE funded 39 projects and engaged over 900 students, more than 1,400 volunteers, and IEEE members, including reviewers, mentors, and project volunteers.
  • IEEE MOVE Global, with its three local instances, transitioned to reporting to the Humanitarian Technologies Board. IEEE MOVE-USA added a third truck to its fleets, funded by the IEEE Foundation’s IEEE-USA Fund. Volunteers and the trucks deployed to six emergency response locations across North Carolina, Florida, New Mexico, and Texas, donating 16,750 volunteer hours over 88 days. IEEE MOVE India organized several disaster awareness initiatives, donated solar lanterns and mobile charges to Wayanad landslide victims, and launched a STEM kit to promote climate change awareness. IEEE MOVE Puerto Rico expanded its capacity by welcoming three new team members and increasing the number of team members who are licensed radio operators, enhancing the team’s capability to operate ham radio equipment in their kits and during deployments.
  • The IEEE Humanitarian Technologies Board (HTB) supported the creation of 25 new SIGHT Groups, the growth of SIGHT events by 20%, and the growth of SIGHT members by 42%. Through Tech4Good, over US$570K was granted to 74 IEEE-member teams in 15 countries for grassroots projects, benefiting over 150K individuals globally.

EDUCATE the next generation of innovators and engineers

ENGAGE a wider audience in appreciating the value & importance of technology

ENERGIZE  innovation by celebrating technological excellence

FUTURE looks beyond our lifetime to shape the destiny of future generations

  • IEEE WIE Family Cares Grant Program (FCGP), a groundbreaking initiative aiming to provide financial support for primary caregivers, irrespective of gender, to encourage their participation in IEEE conferences, awarded its first grant to an IEEE member from IEEE Region 8, covering childcare costs to support the member’s attendance at a conference.
  • IEEE Foundation awarded 12 grants from the IEEE Foundation Fund, including a grant to support awards for students who competed in the IEEE Branches FIFA Cup at the IEEE 2024 Jordan Students and Young Professionals Congress hosted by the University of Jordan Student Branch. Another highlight was a grant to the IEEE WIE ESPRIT Student Branch Affinity Group for prizes presented to five recipients for technical challenges and their outstanding solutions developed towards issues like digital privacy and online harassment of women.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to making 2024 a success for IEEE charitable programs and hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries worldwide.

If you want to read more about the IEEE Foundation’s 2024 activities, please visit our website for more news or the Foundation’s recently updated Impact page.

Note: The statistics included in this article are preliminary and may change as our program partners complete their year-end reporting.

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