Case Study
If/Then Campaign
Lyda Hill Foundation
Objective
Inspiring young girls to seek STEM careers
Project Type
Program Development
Impact Area
Gender Equity
Client Type
Foundation
Client Need
The Lyda Hill Foundation is a private foundation that focuses on and is committed to supporting the movement of the science, technology, engineering, and math fields towards the inclusion of girls and women in STEM at scale. Despite funding the work of female scientists for years, the Foundation had never engaged in culture change work to broaden their area of interest. Propper Daley was hired to help them step into this type of funding and activations, given our extensive experience in creating action-oriented strategies and culture change.
Our Approach
Propper Daley identified that in order to begin shifting perceptions, we need to change the narratives that permeate our culture and implement proactive and positive strategies for reaching young girls, particularly 4th Graders who are in an intense period of identity formation. Many of the barriers that impact girls’ pursuit of STEM pathways and careers are connected to portrayals both of STEM as a field and of the women within it and there was a gap in the field of proactively working to shepherd new portrayals, new narratives and leverage popular culture to do so. PD helped the Foundation launch the If/Then campaign working with content creators to positively change the portrayals of women in STEM; inspiring girls through media and educational opportunities to pique their interest in STEM; and elevating women scientists and explorers as role models to inspire the next generation of world-change makers.
Impact
As a part of the work, PD architected a study of the portrayals of women in STEM in popular media with the Geena Davis Institute that was used as a foundation for conversations with writer’s rooms and content creators. PD surfaced ideas for the first year of the initiative that have resulted in a variety of popular culture breakthrough activations including an entire episode of Project Runway featuring Lyda Hill Foundation funded female STEM innovators to reach mothers and daughters. As well as, an art activation In Dallas featuring 50 statues of female STEM pioneers to close the gap in the number of statues in the US that feature prominent females.