In 2017, BMW Manufacturing committed to give $300,000 to fund the Project Lead the Way programs for a three-year period at John E. Ewing, Gaffney, Blacksburg, and Granard middle schools in Cherokee County, South Carolina. Project Lead the Way is a nonprofit organization that provides science, engineering, technology and math (STEM) education to students in schools nationwide. BMW realized there was a gap to be filled, Project Lead the way was already available at middle schools in Spartanburg and Greenville Counties, but not in Cherokee County. Primary, secondary and higher education are essential in creating the next generation of innovators and to move South Carolina communities forward through future advances in technology and automation.