Andrews Receives Hunter Foundation Grant

To support a STEM internship program for students

The Office of Innovation & Entrepreneurship plans several events and opportunities for students throughout the year. (Photo by Kimberly Agosto)

Andrews University’s Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship recently received a $95,000 grant from the Hunter Foundation, a charity based in Niles, Michigan. The funds will be used to create a two-year summer internship program for Andrews STEM students. Matías Soto, director of the Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, shares that the initiative will support five student interns in the summer of 2026 and seven student interns in the summer of 2027. The grant was received in partnership with enFocus, an organization that coordinates innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives in the South Bend-Elkhart region of Indiana.

Students who participate in the internship program will have opportunities to partner with organizations in Niles on real-world projects. Soto says, “Students will work on projects from local industry, doing work such as research and development, product development, software development, and other technical support. They will work to solve real problems at these companies.”

Applicants for the internship must be full-time students who were part of a STEM program at Andrews prior to the summers of 2026 or 2027. With support from the grant, participants will receive housing and living stipends, professional development and direct industry experience.

Existing relationships between enFocus, the Hunter Foundation and Andrews University helped the three organizations work together. For the past three years, enFocus has provided consulting services to the University. When the enFocus team learned that Andrews was looking into launching a STEM-based internship program, they worked with the University to apply for a Hunter Foundation grant.

Lauren Richardson, content marketing specialist for enFocus, notes that the proposal to the Hunter Foundation was jointly developed, “with Andrews serving as the fiscal agent and enFocus managing funds where needed.” She adds that “there may be future Hunter Foundation requests for years three to five, after evaluation of the pilot.”

In addition to the new internship program, the Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship has planned a number of other initiatives. These include the launch of a business incubator that supports student start-ups and the next Andrews University Pitch Competition in March 2026. To learn more about upcoming programs, please visit the center’s web page.