With school and district budgets stretched thin in recent years, education grants have been vital to funding new and innovative STEM programs in schools and districts across the country. Government, private, and corporate education grants can help close budget gaps, allowing schools in need to provide comprehensive STEM curricula to their students In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover the different types of education grants available and how they can help fund your vision for a rewarding STEM learning experience for your students. Whether your goal is to close a budget gap to maintain a current STEM program or to launch an entirely new curriculum, grants can help turn these ideas into reality.
In this article, you’ll find:
Are you ready to get your dream STEM program funded? Through strategic planning, targeted proposals, and effective grant management, the resources you need can be within your reach. This guide to STEM education grants is designed to help equip you with the key knowledge and practical steps to successfully secure funding for STEM education at your school or district. So let’s get started!
Education grants from government agencies, foundations, nonprofit organizations, corporations, and private donors can provide crucial funding for K-12 schools looking to implement new STEM curricula and programming.
Below are the most common questions administrators have when starting to explore the world of education grants for STEM.
What is an education grant?
An education grant is a sum of money given by a government, company, foundation, or organization to support education programs and initiatives. Unlike loans, education grants do not need to be repaid by the recipient, but they do have terms that need to be followed, such as eligibility criteria, reporting certain metrics and results, fund matching, or itemized qualified expenses.
What type of STEM programs and activities can be funded by an education grant?
Education grants can fund a wide range of STEM-related programs and initiatives, such as:
Ultimately, each STEM education grant will outline what the funds can be used for and how to maintain compliance to ensure that your school or district doesn’t need to pay back any grant funds because of misallocation.
Who is eligible to apply for STEM education grants?
Any educational institution can receive a STEM education grant, though some grants might specify the type of institution or grade level they are looking for. Without any restrictions, however, K-12 schools and school districts, colleges, universities, nonprofit organizations, libraries, and museums can all be recipients of educational grants in STEM.
When do you need to apply for education grants?
Applications for STEM education grants typically open in yearly, biannual, or quarterly cycles. Any new proposals will be reviewed based on these individual schedules, so it’s important to keep track of each grant’s application deadline.
Is there an application fee for applying for education grants?
Most government and nonprofit education grants do not charge an application fee. However, a very small number of corporate grants do require a small application fee.
How much funding do STEM education grants provide?
Award amounts for education grants vary greatly. Anywhere from $1,000 to multi-million dollar grants are available depending on the project size, the grantor, and the individual grant terms.
Can you fund a STEM program with more than one education grant?
Yes, it is absolutely possible and common to fund a STEM program through multiple monetary resources and education grants. Securing money from more than one grant source allows schools and districts to maximize their funding.
How competitive is it to get an education grant for STEM?
STEM education grants have seen a rise in application volume, so having a standout proposal is key to finding funding success.
Before you start requesting funding from education grants, you need a clear vision of your STEM program. This will help you find the most relevant grant opportunities, craft compelling grant proposals, and maintain compliance with each grant’s requirements.
If you’re not sure where to start with defining your STEM program, check out our blog post on how to start a STEM program in your school district.
Your first stop in finding education grants for your STEM program should be a comprehensive database like those provided by Grants.gov, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Education.
These databases compile STEM-related grant opportunities and provide built-in filters so you can narrow your search to find education grants that your school qualifies for.
You can also find curated lists of private and corporate STEM grant opportunities on sites like Solid Professor, Snohomish STEM, or Instrumentl.
Continue your search by looking for local and regional education grants from private and corporate sources. Don’t forget that regional STEM funders can come from hidden gems like community foundations and local private donors in your city or state who might offer smaller STEM education grants only available to regional schools, not nationwide applicants.
You might also want to connect with local grant writers in your area, as they may be willing to share upcoming local grant opportunities that circle among school districts. Tapping into these hyper-local education grant pools can provide the STEM funding other schools may overlook, giving you better odds at success.
Since you’ve clearly defined the STEM program you are aiming to fund, finding relevant STEM grants will be much easier. Keep these key factors in mind when determining if an education grant is a good fit for your STEM program:
When writing your STEM grant proposal, there are a few key tips to keep in mind to make your proposal more competitive and compelling:
What do grantors look for when evaluating applications for STEM education grants? In general, funders are looking for a demonstrated need for the funds, the expected outcomes from receiving the funds, and the feasibility of your proposed STEM program. In addition to these, some specialized grant competitions may be more focused on the geographical region, creativity or innovation, specific reporting metrics, or other individual criteria.
Who should write the grant proposal for a STEM education grant?
The best person to write the STEM grant proposal depends on the size and resources of your school or district. If you have the resources, a dedicated grant writer may be beneficial. They continuously build relationships with funders and are familiar with the detailed requirements STEM grants require.
If a grant writer is not an option, a school or district administrator, STEM director, teacher, or a cross-functional team with all of the above can help write a compelling STEM grant proposal that tells a story and paints the individual needs of your school or district.
STEM grants require varied compliance and fiscal responsibility from each grant recipient. This helps keep organizations accountable to their funding sources, standardize grant reporting requirements, and further any internal goals the grantors might have, such as impact quantification or reporting.
Keep a dedicated team and a detailed calendar to oversee the project management of your grant to ensure that every aspect of your STEM grant stays aligned with expectations and within compliance. This might include:
STEM grants provide a unique opportunity to bring external funding to your school or district. This can make all the difference when it comes to implementing a new STEM curriculum for your students.
With these tips on how to secure a STEM education grant for your school(s), we hope you find the funding you need! You can also learn more about our STEM Equity Grants Program to see if you qualify.
Kid Spark Education is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to making STEM education accessible to all students. Since 2015, we’ve brought Kid Spark STEM labs to hundreds of institutions—many using won grant funds to purchase our programs. We would love to do the same for you and provide your schools with the tools you need for STEM success.
Our research-backed STEM curriculum for Pre-K through 8th grade provides an all-in-one district solution that spans grade levels and builds a solid foundation in STEM fluencies through hands-on lesson plans and activities, cumulative curricula, and NGSS-aligned STEM objectives.
To learn more about our STEM labs and see if they’re the right fit for your school, contact us today.