For the 2023-2024 academic year the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council is seeking program providers for the Iowa STEM Scale-Up Program.
Donor Name: Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council
State: Iowa
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Program
Deadline: 02/28/2023
Size of the Grant: $3 million
Details:
The Scale-Up Program of the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council, a signature investment of state and private funds in students and educators with ample accumulated evidence of effect. The Council’s intention is to bring top STEM education opportunities to all learners, especially those historically underserved. The intent is to seed, jumpstart or expand little-known and exemplary programs proven to inspire and educate PreK-12 students, enabling educational organizations to sustain beyond the Council’s trial investment.
These programs range from building robots and coding programs to conducting agricultural field experiences and learning about STEM careers. All went through a rigorous review process at both the national and state level, demonstrating an appeal to diverse youth, success in improving academic performance, evidence of integrating STEM concepts, development of school-business-community partnerships and sustainability beyond STEM Council financial support.
Program Capacity and Funding Requirements
The legislature supports Scale-Up at just over $3 million total for FY2023. That amount may vary year to year. Typically, funds are distributed across ten to twelve programs that are selected for scaling across Iowa every year. The funds are distributed through a cost reimbursable model. Single program provider funding through the STEM Council across six regions can reach six figures, depending upon how many educators select the program from the menu and how many educators who select the program are awarded the program by the regional advisory boards. Numerous factors influence total funds to providers, including marketing effectiveness, alignment with educators’ goals and standards, number of educator applications across programs at the regional level. There is no assurance by the STEM Council that any program will be scaled. It is market driven.
Strategic Priorities
- Agricultural science (elementary, middle or high schools levels)
- Computational thinking (elementary, middle or high school levels)
- Early learning (PreK-3) STEM
- Ecology and energy education (elementary, middle or high schools levels)
- Mathematics, especially applied and contextual to students’ lives (elementary, middle or high schools levels)
- STEM and arts integration (elementary, middle or high schools levels)
- STEM careers (especially with local context) – ideally an element of any Scale-Up proposal
- STEM programming that integrates into existing curriculum (elementary and especially middle and high schools levels)
- Transdisciplinary (integrated) S-T-E-M (elementary, middle or high schools levels)
Eligible Applicants
STEM programs that serve PreK-12 grade audiences in or out of school with the capacity to deliver professional development/training and materials in Iowa are eligible for the STEM Scale-Up Program. Professional development/training is appropriate for Iowa STEM Scale-Up Programs when preparing an educator to implement a student kit, curriculum, activity, lesson or new course of study in STEM.
- PreK-12 cross-curricular educators, both in and out of the classroom, are eligible to apply, so long as they have undergone a criminal background check as a requirement of employment.
- Eligible applicant(s) include public and private school PreK-12 teachers, youth organization leaders, informal education professionals, home school associations and others who deliver STEM education programming.
- Every applicant must secure the commitment and signature of the institution’s lead administrator(s).
For more information, visit Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council.
