Support the Next Generation of Scientific Leaders!
Our Mission
Cientifico Latino, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization that aims to promote an environment of inclusivity in STEM and increase the number of scientists from low-income, first-generation, and from underserved communities in higher education in the sciences through mentorship, open-access resources, and
professional development opportunities.
Where your donation goes
Your donation will help us support the training of the next generation of scientific leaders by supporting them with graduate school entry, enhance their professional and scientific skillsets in graduate school, and reduce financial burden in higher education.
Cientifico Latino, Inc. believes in the transparency of your donations and these are the ways your donation can help us make a difference:
1. Graduate School Access
Científico Latino's national mentorship program, GSMI, supports 100 students every year with their graduate school applications in the sciences through mentorship, educational resources for graduate school application preparation, and financial support to offset application costs. Since 2019, we have supported 634 students matriculate to graduate school in the sciences!
Applying to graduate programs in the sciences is expensive as each application costs ~$100 and due to the competitive application climate, this past year, our GSMI scholars applied to 11 programs on average. That is $1,100 for one graduate school application cycle!
In 2024, our 91 GSMI scholars faced $87,200 in application fees. We covered 74% of graduate school application costs, specifically $64,580 through $21,480 in GSMI scholarships and $43,100 in university fee waiver partners. However, our GSMI 2024 scholars still had 26% or $22,620 in out-of-pocket application costs.
In 2025, our 89 GSMI scholars faced $91,700 in application fees. We covered 60% of graduate school application costs specifically $54,630 through $28,030 in GSMI scholarships and $26,600 in university fee waiver partners. Our GSMI 2025 scholars had 40% or $37,070 in out-of-pocket application costs.
In one year, the share our scholars paid out of pocket rose from 26% to 40%. Your donation helps us close that gap, so the cost of applying never decides who gets to become a scientist.
2. Graduate Student Success (Scholarship for first-year graduate students)
Since 2021, we have served 336 first-year graduate students across the U.S. and a 100% graduate school retention rate over the last two years. Our first-year graduate program known as “Cientifico Latino Academy” supports our students with scientific training, career exploration, and access to a network of academic experts that will allow us to support graduate school retention and empower graduate students with the training needed to succeed in their graduate studies.
Previous iterations of our first-year graduate program showed that first-year graduate students encountered financial difficulties in relocation and in their first-year of graduate school. Our 2024-2025 survey data from the first-year graduate program documents that first-year graduate students face significant and unexpected financial burdens: across two cohorts of 97 students, nearly 4 in 5 students (79.4%) reported unexpected expenses in their first year, and of those 50 students (64.9%) spent $1000 or more in their first year of graduate school.
Over the past two years, we have provided 59 first-year graduate students a total of $67,500 in scholarships to reduce financial burden in graduate school such as the cost of educational expenses, such as tuition, application fees, enrolling in academic courses to fuel their professional development, academic conference registration, and school supplies i.e. laptops and textbooks.
This year we are currently raising funds for scholarship for our 40 first-year graduate students enrolled in Científico Latino Academy so we can provide them with $1,000 in scholarships for their educational expenses in graduate school.
Scholarship need from GSMI Alumni:
“My savings went towards moving expenses…my laptop which I had since the tenth grade started to fail. My stipend was just enough to cover living expenses, so I could not afford to get a new laptop and went through the first few months of graduate school without a working laptop”.
3. Program Sustainability
As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, there are critical expenses that we need to cover to run our programming effectively and strengthen our mentorship programs. Funds will be directed to the greatest need to support our mentorship programs, which include honorariums for speakers, staff support, and core operations that make this impact possible.
Every dollar you can provide, brings us one step further so our students can reach their dreams.
Thank you for your interest in supporting Cientifico Latino, Inc.!
Individual donations to our 501(c)(3) organization are tax-deductible.
By donating to Cientifico Latino, Inc. you agree to the Donor Agreement. Please read before donating - thank you!