Through Amgen Foundation grants to community programs and the many volunteer efforts of Amgen staff, the company supports environmental efforts in communities where Amgen staff live and work.

Below is a selection of programs the Amgen Foundation has supported in 2008 and 2009.

Massachusetts Audubon Society

The Nature in the City: Three Urban Habitats project, through the Massachusetts Audubon Society, provides local elementary school students with in-class studies and field trips to nearby rivers, wildlife reservations, and parks to see firsthand how urban environments support a surprising number of organisms.

National Marine Sanctuary Foundation’s MERITO Academy

The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation’s MERITO (Multicultural Education for Resource Issues Threatening Oceans) project educates Ventura County’s students and teachers about Earth and ocean science, key ocean threats, and the concept of stewardship. The project goal is to build a new generation that actively contributes to ocean protection.

Ventura County Resource Conservation District

A partnership between the California Regional Environmental Education Community (CREEC) Network and the Ventura County Resource Conservation District delivers environmental education and outreach programs to more than 145,000 school children in Ventura County as well as to educators, businesses, government, and community groups. The Network serves as a gateway to engaging classroom activities like “Jiminy Cricket’s Environmentality Challenge” and “Project Learning Tree” as well as opportunities for teacher training like “Renewable Energy for Educators.”

Urban Environmental School Programs

The Urban Environmental School Programs through the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy in the San Francisco Bay area are park-based environmental education programs designed to teach students about the natural and cultural history of the Bay Area. The experience of learning in the national park continues in the classroom environment with follow-up projects and discussions.

Tracking Regional Ecosystem Change Initiative

The Tracking Regional Ecosystem Change Initiative at Washington state’s Olympic Park Institute allows students and teachers to monitor indicators of ecosystem changes caused by both natural and societal impacts. Ultimately, this initiative aims to help build the next generation of engaged citizens by inspiring young people through hands-on science inquiry in the natural world.

Thorne Ecological Institute Natural Science School Summer Program

Thorne Ecological Society Natural Science School classes in Boulder, Colorado, aim to increase students’ awareness of the natural world, especially those from low-income families. Summer program students are transported to various local sites to learn hands-on about inquiry-based methods and the diversity of their surroundings.

EarthCorps Community-Based Environmental Restoration program

EarthCorps works toward three interwoven outcomes: strong communities, healthy habitats, and competent young leaders. Studies show that well cared-for and appropriately used parks help neighbors get to know each other, and make neighborhoods feel safer. The Community-Based Environmental Restoration program organizes a corps of bright, well-trained young adults who can interact with partners and volunteers and facilitate stewarding the green spaces near their homes or schools, while flexing their leadership skills. Teen and young adult participants who complete the programs feel more motivated and knowledgeable about how to go about improving their neighborhoods. They are primed to become the next generation of environmental leaders in their community.

Headlands Institute

The Headlands Institute’s Field Science Education and Environmental Educator Training Program in the San Francisco Bay area inspires teachers and students through hands-on experiences in the natural world. Science in the Outdoors works to improve students' environmental and scientific literacy around ecosystem change, engage and train teachers to provide inquiry-based science that meets state and federal education standards, and create access to quality education enrichment opportunities for participants who are low-income and underrepresented in environmental education and the sciences.