From the Foundation's Executive Director and Staff:
Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Statement
At the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation, we acknowledge, appreciate and support the fundamental roles that justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion have in scientific progress and innovation. We are infusing these values throughout our internal culture, systems, and practices. We seek applicants from all backgrounds in our programs and strive to ensure a fair and equitable process for selection of awardees, recognizing that excellent science is not the exclusive endeavor of one group of people, but of all people, working collaboratively to accomplish unique solutions to challenging scientific questions.
Our founders challenged us that "there is no satisfactory substitute for excellence" and "absolute integrity in all things" - not just in the research laboratory, but in life. Strengthening diversity, equity, and inclusion across the Foundation is an ongoing process and we will continue to evaluate our work and processes to identify areas where we can evolve and grow to best support the community we serve.
How We Define Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
The Foundation will incorporate the following principles of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion into our operations and culture:
Justice: Identify and remove specific barriers (racism, classism, casteism, sexism, etc.) that hamper full participation from any group.
Equity: Program requirements, application processes, staff hiring and promotion practices, and committee assignments will be developed to support all individuals, recognizing that varying levels of support may be required for different communities.
Diversity: Affiliations and awardees should be composed of individuals with a broad range of identities, experiences, and backgrounds.
Inclusion: Promote a sense of belonging, feeling valued, supported, and welcomed in a collaborative environment.
What We Are Doing
- Formed Foundation JEDI Committee September 2021
- Quarterly meetings with the JEDI Committee to establish goals and accountability
- Established monthly Subcommittee Working Groups to implement JEDI committee ideas. Current Subcommittee groups for the 2022-2023 Program Year include: Mentor Network and Data + Metrics.
- Using technology to hide applicant information pertaining to name, gender, sexual identity, ethnicity, citizenship status, and institutional information from reviewers to help avoid implicit and explicit bias during the review process
- Tracking the effectiveness of our award processes relative to diversity and inclusion to measure where we can focus our efforts and ensure that the needs of all award winners are considered
- Communicating award opportunities broadly to reach underrepresented groups
- Established Code of Conduct for all awardees for research integrity and inclusive interactions
- Supporting open dialogue, safe and healthy communication practices
- Launched the BYI Mentor Network/Office Hours, whose goal will be to provide guidance and insights to potential applicants about the BYI program, the Foundation, and grant writing strategy in general.
Where We Are Going
- Conducting annual reviews of our diversity, equity and inclusion policies, practices, and procedures, starting in the fall of 2020
- Developing a diverse Board of Directors, leadership, and staff within the Foundation
- Completing annual harassment prevention, anti-oppression, and anti-bias training for all staff. Staff and JEDI committee completed training led by the People's Institute for Survival and Beyond (PISAB).
- Planning and creating large-scale webinars to share Beckman Programs information with institutions who have historically not applied or been awarded.
- Developing "example" proposals and guidance for the BYI and Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellowship Programs.
- JEDI committee to focus their attention on the Beckman Scholars Program in 2024-2025.
For more information on our JEDI accomplishments in 2021, read our JEDI Impact Report here
Updated: January 30, 2024
