National statistics indicate that Hispanic students are not enrolling nor completing engineering curricula in proportion to their increasing numbers of the population. In order to close this glaring educational gap, more students from Hispanic backgrounds must be motivated, assisted financially and supported with programs to complete their higher education degrees.

The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers Foundation is dedicated to providing scholarship funds and education support systems for engineering and science students of Hispanic backgrounds. Also benefiting from the Foundation's fundraising efforts are the 38 professional chapters and 182 student chapters associated with the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, Inc., our national organization. Since its inception in 1974, SHPE has become the largest national Hispanic organization dedicated to the advancement of Hispanics in the engineering and science career fields.

The goal of the SHPE Foundation is to support the increase of the number of Hispanics into the fields of engineering and science. The Foundation supports four major programs:

• Advancing Careers in Engineering (ACE) Program
• The Scholarship Program
• The Student Chapter Design Contest
• NASA / HONORES Program