The Inetta Fund was started to help rural underfunded school systems provide Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education.
The site is named for Mrs. Inetta B. Johnson, who was a dedicated educator in Greene County, Alabama. She devoted her life to preparing young people for the future, by serving her community as a principal and teacher for over 30 years. For decades Mrs. Johnson and her husband Mr. James C. Johnson Jr., worked in the County. Mr. Johnson taught high school math and science and coached basketball. "The Fund” was started by their son by James C. Johnson III, a retired Systems Engineer who found their dedication to education an inspiration in establishing the fund. The Fund was started in 2017 in an effort to bridge the resource gap in rural school systems and to help provide students with access to the equipment and resources they need to explore and develop their interest in STEM subjects.
Our country suffers from a scarcity of qualified engineers, scientists and mathematicians, especially minority men and women. Economists project that within a decade the U.S. will fall even further behind. China, South Korea and India are slated to produce well over half of the world’s engineers and scientists while the U.S. contributes fewer than ten percent of these highly skilled specialists. Unless STEM education and opportunities are amplified for all students, particularly for those who are impacted by structural inequality, the country and its minority students will continue to be left behind in the rapidly changing global economy.
Nowhere is that need more apparent than in the nation’s rural and under served communities where students are likely to lack the basic building blocks for STEM studies. There is a deep divide between the have and have-nots who confront a dearth of equipment and facilities, including access to the Internet. Internet service where available is largely dial-up and there are no facilities for science and technology laboratories.
Rural areas throughout the country suffers all these deficiencies. Primarily left behind by global technology and the new economy, these regions have been marginalized by a host of material deficiencies, deindustrialization and depopulation.Flight from the public school system and private academies contribute to these persistent educational inequities. These disparities in education leave permanent damage that ensures most students are Stamped from the Beginning and marginalized with low expectations, exploitation and a lifetime of low-paid jobs.
The Inetta Fund remains committed to the proposition that students who are given the proper instructions, motivation and educational enrichment will be eager to take up the challenge. But most important, they will excel!
The nonprofit organization will provide educational assistance, material and resources to schools, teachers and students for use in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) projects in rural and underfunded school systems.
The Fund’s mission is to expose young people in grades 7 through 12 with a range of activities and give them hands-on experience with STEM disciplines. This knowledge can prepare them for college or careers in the fast-emerging job markets and help fill the growing need for STEM professionals.
The need is clear. Bringing STEM education and resources to one of the most impoverished corners of our nation can provide a path for Black students to excel as tomorrow’s STEM leaders. Fulfillment of this mission rights a lingering historical injustice while enlarging the pool of engineers, scientists and mathematicians our nation needs to remain competitive.
The Inetta Fund seeks financial donations at all levels. Your contribution can help outfit a classroom, laboratory or library, giving dozens of students the means to explore the physical sciences. We are eager to engage STEM professionals as volunteers who can provide mentorship, serve as classroom speakers, or sponsor a class field trip to their place of business and or inspire young people to see themselves in the achievements of others. Become one of our supporters, we welcome your endorsement. Share our story with your networks. Tell others about The Inetta Fund and encourage them to support us. Enlist your organization or business to support the Inetta Fund.