Andy DehnartGrant Imahara died suddenly this summer, but his legacy will live on—in his work on TV, including Mythbusters, Battlebots, and The White Rabbit Project, of course, but also now via a new foundation that says it’s dedicated to continuing what Grant started: “giving back to communities in need through mentorships, grants, and scholarships” in STEAM: science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math.
“I’m incredibly proud that our foundation will be able to help students find their own success,” Grant’s mother, Carolyn, said in a video introducing the foundation. “I’m so proud of my son’s career—but I’m equally proud of the work he did mentoring students in the low-income community. He’d be thrilled that we planned to continue this—plus much more.”
The Grant Imahara STEAM Foundation was created by Carolyn and Grant’s friends and colleagues. “All students should have access to STEAM, regardless of their socioeconomic status, race, color, or gender—that is what, we the founders of the Grant Imahara STEAM Foundation believe, and that is what Grant believed,” Coya Elliott, the organization’s director/secretary, said in the video.
The Foundation’s website says it will be “[g]uided by the core principles embodied by Grant throughout his life – curiosity, integrity and generosity” and will exist “to inspire emerging talent and empower underserved youth in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math education.”
It says it plans to give scholarships; offer financial support for students taking unpaid internships; and continue to support Richmond High School’s FIRST Robotics Team #841, which Grant supported.
The Foundation is currently seeking donations and volunteers, and says it “is a 100% volunteer organization.”
The new nonprofit organization was announced Friday with this video, which includes interviews with friends, family, and fellow Mythbusters—and has a rather surprising and moving conclusion.