STEM Funding Opportunities
There are hundreds of websites for searching and locating K-12 STEM funding opportunities. Provided below are a sampling of websites with descriptions and links to facilitate individual searches in support of K-12 STEM activities.
STEMgrants.com
This website offers a listing of STEM grant opportunities and updates regarding STEM funding. Individuals can also sign-up to receive the organization’s yearly compilation of STEM funding opportunities (i.e. STEM Funding Guide).
Grants Wrangler
The website offers a free sign-up for a bi-weekly newsletter offering grant and related award information, primarily for schools and teachers.
http://www.grantwrangler.com/subscribe.html
STEM Education Coalition
The website offers information on STEM activity in the US and how to support those efforts. From the website individuals can sign-up for free newsletter or to follow posted information through Facebook, Twitter or RSS feed.
http://www.stemedcoalition.org/
North Carolina Science Teachers Association (NCSTA)
NCSTA provides information on science teaching in North Carolina to include professional development opportunities, learning materials for use in the classroom, and awards/grants.
Grants.gov
Grants.gov is the portal to over 26 federal agencies and over 9000 programs. The website provides for easy search of programs by agency and/or keywords and allows sign-up to receive free, customized funding opportunity alerts.
FundsNet
FundsNet is a free site with opportunities organized under categories—such as education and community development grants—as well as by region. Individuals can navigate into the regional grants folder, select North Carolina, and identify those funding sources that focus their award-making in North Carolina.
http://www.fundsnetservices.com/
Wells Fargo
One of Wells Fargo strategic focus areas is Education. They support organizations that promote academic achievement for low- and moderate-income students by: Eliminating the pre-K – 12th grade achievement gap in public education through curriculum-based or school-sponsored programs; Facilitating merit-based access to higher education for underrepresented groups; and Advancing teaching through recruitment, professional development, support and retention of teachers.
Grant requests are reviewed throughout the calendar year. Local decisions are typically made within 90 to 120 days of application. Wells Fargo maintains an electronic application submission accessible through their website.
To find out more about Wells Fargo giving, please visit their website.
American Honda Foundation
The American Honda Foundation engages in grant making that reflects the basic tenets, beliefs and philosophies of Honda companies, which are characterized by the following qualities: imaginative, creative, youthful, forward-thinking, scientific, humanistic and innovative. They support youth education with a specific focus on the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects in addition to the environment. The Foundation’s funding priority is youth education, specifically in the areas of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, the environment, job training and literacy.
Applications are accepted four times a year with anticipated award dates identified in parentheses:
- February 1 (May 1)
- May 1 (August 1)
- August 1 (November 1)
- November 1 (February 1)
American Honda Foundation maintains an electronic application submission accessible through their website.
Amgen Foundation
The Amgen Foundation engages in grant making that raises the value of science literacy on a national and local level. The areas given priority consideration within science education are:
- Teacher quality and professional development in math and science: Comprehensive programs that enhance the quality of math and science teachers entering the classroom and support teachers with meaningful professional development opportunities that have a positive impact on student achievement
- Pivotal hands-on science experience: Support programs that provide students and teachers with opportunities for hands-on, inquiry-based learning experiences that significantly impact students' excitement about science and scientific careers
Applications are accepted throughout the year. The Foundation's review committees meet quarterly to make funding decisions.
Amgen Foundation maintains an electronic application submission accessible through the website. The Amgen Foundation accepts unsolicited inquiries through the online letter of inquiry form. Foundation staff will evaluate the inquiry and solicit a full application if appropriate. Please visit the Amgen Foundation website for more details.
National Science Foundation
This Discovery Research K-12 program (DRK-12) seeks to significantly enhance the learning and teaching of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) by preK-12 students, teachers, administrators and parents. All DRK-12 projects should be framed around a research question or hypothesis that addresses an important need or topic in preK-12 STEM education. The emphasis in DRK-12 is on research projects that study the development, testing, deployment, effectiveness, and/or scale-up of innovative resources, models and tools. DRK-12 invites proposals that address immediate challenges that are facing preK-12 STEM education as well as those that anticipate a radically different structure and function of pre-K 12 teaching and learning. DRK-12 especially encourages proposals that challenge existing assumptions about learning and teaching within or across STEM fields, envision the future needs of learners, and consider new and innovative ways to support student and teacher learning.
For fiscal year 2013, the letter of intent is due on October 4, 2012; the full proposal is due on December 6, 2012. For complete details regarding the different types of DRK-12 programs, please visit their website.
Federal STEM Opportunities for HBCUs
National Science Foundation (HBCU-UP)
To meet the nation's accelerating demands for STEM talent, more rapid gains in achievement, success and degree production in STEM for underrepresented minority populations are needed. The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) is committed to enhancing the quality of undergraduate STEM education and research at HBCUs as a means to broaden participation in the nation's STEM workforce. To this end, HBCU-UP provides awards to develop, implement, and study innovative models and approaches for making dramatic improvements in the preparation and success of HBCU undergraduate students so that they may participate successfully in STEM graduate programs and/or careers in STEM disciplines. Please visit the NSF HBCU-UP program website for more details.
National Science Foundation (AGEP)
The Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) program will support three types of projects: 1) AGEP-Transformation; 2) AGEP-Knowledge Adoption and Translation; and 3) AGEP-Broadening Participation Research in STEM Education. This solicitation represents an expansion of the program to include strategic investments in the development and study of new models for STEM graduate education, postdoctoral training, and academic STEM career preparation that eliminate or mitigate negative factors and promote positive practices for underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities. AGEP encourages community colleges, primarily undergraduate institutions, minority-serving institutions (including Historically Black Colleges and Universities), women's colleges, and institutions primarily serving persons with disabilities to participate as lead institutions and as alliance partners in all three types of AGEP projects. Please visit the NSF AGEP program website for more details.
Army Research Office (Research & Education Program)
The Research and Education Program for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving Institutions (HBCU/MI) aims to (a) enhance research programs and capabilities in scientific and engineering disciplines critical to the national security functions of the DoD; (b) encourage greater participation by HBCU/MI in DoD research and education programs and activities; (c) increase the number of graduates, including underrepresented minorities, in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM); and (d) encourage research and educational collaboration with other institutions of higher education. Research projects will be supported at a level up to $150,000 per 12-month period for a total performance period of 36 months. If equipment or instrumentation is necessary to carry out the proposed research, it must be budgeted in the first 12-month period and shall not exceed $200,000. Thus, a research proposal with equipment or instrumentation acquisition included may be valued up to $650,000. Please visit the ARO Program website for more details.
