The STEM Scholarship Program will now be the STEaM Scholarship Program

HOUSTON, January 24, 2024 – alliantgroup’s philanthropic arm, the Blue Heart Fund, is excited to add Accounting majors to its annual STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Scholarship program expanding STEM to STEaM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Accounting and Math). Since 2017, alliantgroup has awarded scholarships to high school seniors pursuing a college major in these technical fields. The addition of accounting majors to the program is in response to more and more accounting programs receiving an official STEM designation from the federal government, as well as the alarming drop in graduates to fill the ever-widening talent gap in the accounting industry.

Since its inception, the Blue Heart Fund has awarded more than $1 million in scholarships to students across the United States who are pursuing a degree in STEM. In addition to expanding the program to include accounting majors, the scholarship program will now also offer scholarships to college students already in one of the STEaM majors.

The move to spotlight accounting studies comes as more than 99% of the country’s top CPA firms have expressed challenges in finding adequate staffing. And, there has been a 16% decline in accountants and auditors over the last few years according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. These statistics combined with a rise in seemingly flashier careers in technology and other business disciplines has left a dwindling pipeline of accounting talent.