STEM Equity Grants Initiative

Research highlights ongoing disparities in access to STEM education for many underserved communities.

At Kid Spark, we are dedicated to reducing these disparities and creating opportunities for all students to thrive in STEM. Discover how to apply for a grant or support this vital initiative.

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About the Initiative

The STEM Equity Grants Initiative provides hands-on STEM education to elementary and middle school students in underserved communities, helping them develop skills and mindsets that enhance their academic and social-emotional outcomes, and open doors to success in the 21st century.

Select schools and informal education providers serving students from Title I or underserved communities are eligible to apply for a reduced-cost Kid Spark STEM program, which includes:

Curriculum

A progressive, engineering and computer-science based curriculum including teacher lesson plans, student workbooks, design challenges, evaluation rubrics, interactive coding tutorials (2nd-8th Grade only), and unit assessments.

STEM Labs

Kid Spark STEM Labs feature diverse, reusable engineering and robotics materials that effortlessly cater to various STEM concepts across multiple grade levels. These materials are sturdy, user-friendly, and perfect for collaborative learning and invention.

Professional Learning

Through targeted training and support, we ensure that educators not only gain expertise but also the confidence to implement impactful STEM learning in their classrooms or informal spaces. Kid Spark is committed to ensuring ongoing program success by providing continuous support each year.

Why It’s Important

By grade 3 or 4, most children have decided whether STEM is for them based on early exposure to STEM concepts — or lack of it. Inequity in STEM exposure leads many underserved youth to opt out of STEM fields of study and STEM careers, cutting off generation after generation of talent, ingenuity, and imagination.

The only way to close the STEM opportunity gap is to introduce children to STEM as early as possible and provide sustained STEM learning opportunities year after year. Yet most formal and informal education providers offer no STEM learning at all, particularly in low-income and underserved communities, such as rural areas or those with limited resources.

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Making An Impact

Since launching the initiative in 2021, Kid Spark has provided STEM learning to over 30 educational providers impacting over 20,000 students. Our audacious goal is to provide STEM learning to 300,000 children in underserved communities by 2027.

STEM Equity Grant Recipients

Harry S Truman Elementary

Webb City, MO

Conkwright Elementary

Winchester, KY

Burns Elementary-Middle

Detroit, MI

Moffett Public School

Moffett, OK

See all program recipients here.

Request Application Support The Initiative

SPONSOR A STEM EQUITY GRANT

The cost of awarding a STEM Equity Grant to a school or informal educational setting (e.g., after school, summer school) ranges from $6,000 to $18,000. Every contribution to this program has a direct and meaningful impact on students. Contact us to sponsor a school or district in your community.