A grantmaker is betting a TV show for teen girls can help narrow the STEM gender gap

By EDEN STIFFMAN, The Chronicle of Philanthropy
Chronicle of Philanthropy

Dallas philanthropist Lyda Hill has devoted much of her giving to tackling social problems through science. She has also ventured into media production: financing and helping develop a TV series, “Mission Unstoppable,” aimed at teenage girls, which features women succeeding in science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM, careers. The CBS series — part entertainment, part feminist career inspiration — has averaged a million broadcast viewers in its first two seasons and has been nominated for multiple Emmy awards. It’s also part of a growing recognition in the philanthropic community that TV shows, feature films, podcasts, and other media projects are powerful tools to reach new audiences and shift entrenched narratives, what insiders call “narrative change.”