Foundation Academies will help expand STEM opportunities for Trenton students following a $32,500 donation from Bristol Myers Squibb to support a new chemistry lab and curriculum at its upcoming FA Collegiate campus.
The gift will fund lab equipment and resources to introduce Advanced Placement Chemistry at Foundation Academies for the first time, coinciding with the opening of the new campus next year.
The new FA Collegiate campus is under construction in Trenton’s South Ward, where an abandoned factory is being redeveloped into a high school scheduled to open in August 2026.
The BMS investment will allow students to access college-level science instruction, earn potential college credit, and explore pathways to STEM degrees and careers.
“This effort goes beyond teaching chemistry — it’s about breaking cycles of limited access,” said Foundation Academies Chief Executive Officer Sheria McRae. “By providing our scholars with AP Chemistry, we are proving that excellence is not reserved for select zip codes or private institutions.”
McRae, who grew up in Trenton and returned to the city as an educator, said the new course offering affirms students’ ability to compete at the highest academic levels.
“We are investing in their futures, in their capacity to innovate, and in their right to stand shoulder to shoulder with peers nationwide in the highest levels of academic achievement,” she said. “We thank Bristol Myers Squibb for supporting our scholars and their futures.”
The donation was made through Bristol Myers Squibb’s Community Giving and Corporate Responsibility initiatives, which support STEM education and community programs in areas where employees live and work.
“At Bristol Myers Squibb, we believe that access to advanced science education is critical to unlocking opportunity,” said Sally John, research STEM executive sponsor at Bristol Myers Squibb.
“By supporting Foundation Academies in bringing AP Chemistry to Trenton students for the first time, we’re helping to build a pipeline of future innovators who will shape the next generation of scientific breakthroughs.”
Foundation Academies is a free public charter school serving more than 1,200 students in kindergarten through Grade 12 in Trenton.
“Our new campus and advanced learning curriculum will signal to our scholars that they belong in the laboratories, research institutions, and universities where the next generation of discoveries will be made,” said Genevieve King, chief advancement officer at Foundation Academies.
“We are creating a campus where talent is discovered, nurtured, and shared—because Trenton is not a place to leave, but a place to lead,” she said.