Nonprofit organizations Con Mi MADRE, Urban Roots, and the Science Mill named as the first recipients of the new annual grant program

Austin FC and Q2 Holdings Inc. announced on Monday this year’s three (3) recipients of the new Q-mmunity Gives grant program. Local nonprofits Con Mi MADRE, Urban Roots, and Science Mill will each receive a $50,000 grant to focus on the advancement of underrepresented communities through the following impact areas: education, job skills and readiness, and health and wellness.

“Austin FC is excited to announce the Q-mmunity Gives program’s first-ever grant recipients,” said Austin FC President Andy Loughnane. “As part of the Club’s commitment to the nonprofit community, we are honored to align with Austin FC founding partner Q2 to support three local organizations who represent increasing equity through inclusion.”

When Con Mi MADRE was founded in 1992, statistics showed that Latina babies had less than a one (1) percent chance of graduating from college. Since then, the organization’s mission has focused on empowering young Latinas and their mothers through education and support services that increase preparedness, participation and success in post-secondary education.

“Support from the Q-mmunity Gives grant is vital to increasing the number of students and parents Con Mi MADRE can serve,” said Con Mi MADRE Executive Director Johanna Moya Fábregas. “We can further our mission of helping young Latinas graduate from high school, enroll in college and successfully earn a college degree, thereby breaking the generational cycles of poverty and its social determinants.”

Urban Roots cultivates leadership skills through food and farming to transform the lives of young people. The organization’s farm-based programs include the Farm Internship Program (14-17 years old) and Farm Leadership Fellowship (18-23 years old), which provide participants with valuable social and emotional development skills and the opportunity to grow and harvest hundreds of pounds of vegetables that are donated to hunger relief partners.

“The Q-mmunity Gives grant will allow Urban Roots to equip youth with the knowledge and skills to grow thousands of pounds of nutrient-dense vegetables that will be donated to those in our community experiencing food insecurity,” said Urban Roots Executive Director Frances Deviney. “But the impact doesn't stop there. This grant also funds our efforts to provide youth with meaningful social-emotional learning opportunities as they develop confidence in who they are and how their gifts can empower them to be change-makers in their community and in the world. Urban Roots is so grateful for this support!”

The Science Mill opened in 2015 in Johnson City, Texas, as a highly interactive, hands-on science museum focused on Central and South Texas students who have traditionally been underrepresented in the STEM field. The museum plays an important role in creating new strategies for student engagement in STEM careers while growing the number of underrepresented students in Texas who will become the next generation of STEM leaders in our communities.

“The Q-mmunity Gives grant will allow the Science Mill to bring its transformative STEM programs to new places and even more students across Texas,” said Science Mill Founder Bonnie Baskin. “More than 60% of Texas students live in economically disadvantaged communities, with little or no access to STEM programs. The Q-mmunity Gives grant accelerates our efforts to reach those students who are most in need of the confidence and encouragement to succeed in STEM and become the entrepreneurial and critical thinkers in a 21^st-century skilled workforce.”

“We are excited to support Con Mi MADRE, Urban Roots and Science Mill to help them continue to positively impact and change lives in our community,” said Matt Flake, CEO for Q2. “At Q2, our mission is to build strong and diverse communities by strengthening their financial institutions, and through the annual Q-mmunity Gives grant program, in partnership with Austin FC, we want to empower organizations that are making a difference in our Central Texas community.”

The three (3) grants will contribute directly to aiding each organization in its respective mission related to promoting equity and inclusion in central Texas. The Q-mmunity Gives program, funded and presented by Austin FC and Q2, will award the grant annually moving forward.

About Austin FC

Austin FC joined Major League Soccer (MLS) as the League’s 27^th club in January 2019. Austin FC officially began competing in MLS in April 2021 and played its first match at home on June 19, 2021 in the new, 100% privately financed, $260 million, state-of-the-art Q2 Stadium in Austin.

Austin FC operates the Austin FC Academy, the fully funded developmental academy representing the highest level of competition for elite youth soccer players in Central Texas, while serving as the exclusive developmental pathway to MLS for the region’s most talented young players.

About Q2 Holdings Inc.

Q2 is a financial experience company dedicated to providing digital banking and lending solutions to banks, credit unions, alternative finance, and fintech companies in the U.S. and internationally. With comprehensive end-to-end solution sets, Q2 enables its partners to provide cohesive, secure, data-driven experiences to every account holder – from consumer to small business and corporate. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Q2 has offices throughout the world and is publicly traded on the NYSE under the stock symbol QTWO. To learn more, please visit Q2.com.

About Con Mi MADRE

The drive behind the founding of Con Mi MADRE stemmed from a statistic that a Latina baby had less than a 1% chance of obtaining a college education. Initially named the Hispanic Mother-Daughter Program (HMDP) in 1992 as a project of the Junior League of Austin, the program set out to create positive change in the lives of young Latinas by empowering them to earn a college education. In 2008, the HDMP transitioned into its own organization, adopting the name Con Mi MADRE, becoming a freestanding and independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

From inception, Con Mi MADRE’s focus has been on helping young Latinas graduate from high school, enroll in college, and successfully earn a college degree. We believe and understand the importance of parent engagement in the educational process and intentionally engage mothers in every aspect of our programming. To date, CMM has assisted over 3,000 mother-daughter teams on their journey to and through post-secondary education. We are building our nation’s educated workforce and the next generation of confident and diverse female leaders.

About Urban Roots

Based on urban farms in East and South Austin, Urban Roots uses food and farming to transform the lives of young people and to inspire, engage, and nourish the community. Since 2008, Urban Roots has graduated over 570 youth leaders and grown over 415,000 pounds of food. Annually, Urban Roots provides approximately 50 young leaders, ages 17-23, with paid internship and fellowship opportunities to grow food, learn new skills, and make a difference in their community. They work together with more than 1,000 community volunteers to grow up to 40,000 pounds of fresh food for our local food system and Hunger Relief Partners every year! To learn more, visit www.urbanrootsatx.org, subscribe to our newsletter, and follow us on social media at @urbanrootsatx.

About Science Mill

The Science Mill is committed to providing out-of-school STEM enrichment programs to better serve students living in underserved central Texas communities. By creating fun, high-quality, engaging programs that reach elementary and middle school students who have little or no access to STEM programs, we ignite a new level of interest and excitement for opportunities in future STEM careers. Learning is broader than formal schooling, and out-of-school science programs and experiences play a crucial role in introducing students to STEM fields and ultimately creating a future science literate population. The Science Mill started in Johnson City, TX as a cutting-edge, all-ages museum and has expanded to provide programming throughout south and central Texas and beyond; explore the Mill’s resources for students, educators, and families at www.sciencemill.org.

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