Society for Science awards $295,000 to 61 organizations bringing STEM to communities across the nation

Society for Science, a national nonprofit leader in science education and STEM literacy, today announced $295,000 in grants to 61 impactful organizations representing 31 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

Through the STEM Action Grants program, the Society supports innovative mission-driven nonprofit organizations working to enhance scientific understanding by creating opportunities for their communities to engage in science, technology, engineering and math. The Society received 383 applications this year, an 83% increase over the previous year and the highest volume in the past five years, with funding requests totaling nearly $1.9 million. The record number of applications underscores both the growing demand for STEM opportunities and the important role nonprofit organizations play in expanding access to science and their need for support.

This year’s grantees illustrate the extraordinary breadth of grassroots STEM education in America. Across the country, people are exploring ancient fossils beneath the Great Plains, monitoring local watersheds and ecosystems, building robots and drones, discovering aviation, creating with artificial intelligence, and learning that science is not confined to laboratories, but is woven into the places where they live, learn and play.

“Congratulations to all of this year’s STEM Action Grantees. These innovative community-based STEM organizations are expanding access to science in remarkable ways and demonstrating that curiosity can flourish in every community,” said Maya Ajmera, President and CEO of Society for Science and Executive Publisher of Science News. “From rural towns to major cities, they are creating opportunities for people to explore science, solve problems and strengthen their communities. We are proud to support their work and the lasting impact they have across the nation.”

Fifty-six organizations have received grants ranging from $3,000 to $5,000 each, while five nonprofits have received $10,000 capacity-building grants to strengthen their organizational infrastructure. These investments will support curriculum development, facilitator training, volunteer coordination and organizational systems, allowing successful programs to grow and reach even more learners. Together, this year’s funding reflects the Society’s commitment to supporting organizations at every stage of growth, from first-time grantees launching innovative programs to returning organizations expanding proven initiatives and capacity-building grantees strengthening their long-term sustainability.

Below are three organizations that illustrate the breadth of this year’s cohort organizations that range from emerging to established:

Investing in new ideas

The Pathway Initiative (Boston, Massachusetts)

The Pathway Initiative, a new grantee this year, received a $4,000 grant. The organization has created a distinct, long-term STEM talent pipeline that supports aspiring physicians and scientists from middle school and high school through college, medical school, graduate training and residency. Designed as a cross-generational community, participants receive year-round mentoring, academic support, leadership development and career guidance before returning to mentor future cohorts, creating a lasting cycle of opportunity. With support from its first STEM Action Grant, approximately 50 students will benefit directly, alongside 15 mentors and advisors.

Growing proven programs

Rise Up: Northeast Ohio (Cleveland, Ohio)

The Society continues to invest in organizations that have demonstrated meaningful impact over time. This year, 65% (35 of 54) of organizations funded in 2025 and eligible to reapply sought renewal funding, underscoring the importance of sustained support for programs that continue to inspire curiosity and expand opportunity in their communities.

Rise Up: Northeast Ohio is a renewal grantee and received a $5,000 grant. Rise Up connects public high school students with more than 100 biomedical scientists who volunteer year-round to guide them through every stage of authentic scientific research, from developing research questions and writing grant proposals to conducting experiments, analyzing data and publishing their findings in the Journal of Young Scientists. Until 2023, Rise Up operated entirely through volunteers and self-funding. Continued support from the Society helps sustain the organizational capacity needed to coordinate more than 100 scientist mentors and deliver immersive, year-round research experiences for students.

Building stronger organizations

SciAccess (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)

One of five capacity-building grantees this year, SciAccess received a $10,000 grant. The organization is transforming accessibility across STEM through education, mentorship, community building and research, creating opportunities for a new generation of innovators and scientific leaders with disabilities. From immersive astronomy mentorship for blind and low-vision students to advancing accessibility in space research and consulting with NASA and commercial space companies on spacecraft design, SciAccess is helping create a more inclusive future for science. This capacity-building grant will strengthen the staff, volunteer network and community partnerships needed to expand the organization’s long-term impact and create more opportunities for people with disabilities to learn, lead and thrive in STEM.

2026 STEM Action Grant Recipients

The following organizations received STEM Action Grants this year. Organizations are listed alphabetically within each funding category.

New Grantees (26)

  • ACCESS Educational Services (Bridgeport, Connecticut)
  • Asombro Institute for Science Education (Las Cruces, New Mexico)
  • Crafting Tomorrow (Wellesley, Massachusetts)
  • Engineer Early Association (Dover, Delaware)
  • Friends of NDGS Paleo (Mandan, North Dakota)
  • Gearing Towards Engineering Foundation (Wickatunk, New Jersey)
  • Growing the STEM (Coeur d’Alene, Idaho)
  • HYPOTHEkids (New York, New York)
  • Magic of Science (Chapel Hill, North Carolina)
  • Oraculi (Rochester, Minnesota)
  • Reading Science Center (Reading, Pennsylvania)
  • Reinvented Inc. (Rockledge, Florida)
  • Rethink Learning (Fall River, Massachusetts)
  • Science Camps of America (Kaneohe, Hawaii)
  • Selkirk Conservation Alliance (Priest River, Idaho)
  • Society of Military Spouses in STEM (Woodbridge, Virginia)
  • STEM Bridge Foundation (Bellevue, Washington)
  • STEM Is Us 2.0 (Youngstown, Ohio)
  • Success 1st (Mantua, New Jersey)
  • Sun City STEM (El Paso, Texas)
  • Sweet Grass Technical Institute (Big Timber, Montana)
  • Takshanuk Watershed Council (Haines, Alaska)
  • The Good Foodie (Washington, District of Columbia)
  • The Green Gift (Huntsville, Alabama)
  • The Pathway Initiative (Boston, Massachusetts)
  • Yavapai Exploration and Science of Prescott (Prescott, Arizona)

Renewal Grantees (30)

  • Algalita Marine Research and Education (Long Beach, California)
  • Ciencia Puerto Rico (San Juan, Puerto Rico)
  • Close the Gap Foundation (Mountain View, California)
  • Directed Initiatives for Youth (Excite All Stars) (New Orleans, Louisiana)
  • EARTHGANG Foundation (Atlanta, Georgia)
  • Equity Research Group, Inc. (Dunwoody, Georgia)
  • Forgotten Heroes Foundation (Chesapeake, Virginia)
  • Friends of Ballona Wetlands (Playa del Rey, California)
  • Impact NW (Portland, Oregon)
  • Math Circles of Chicago (Chicago, Illinois)
  • Math N More Foundation, Inc. (Atlanta, Georgia)
  • Mid-Atlantic Gigabit Innovation Collaboratory (MAGIC) (Westminster, Maryland)
  • Nature Nexus Institute (Culver City, California)
  • Oceanographic Teaching Stations, Inc. (Manhattan Beach, California)
  • PS Science (Inglewood, California)
  • Rise Up: Northeast Ohio (Cleveland, Ohio)
  • SFA Foundation, Inc. (Beltsville, Maryland)
  • Shared Science (Long Beach, California)
  • STEM for Flathead Valley Schools (Kalispell, Montana)
  • STEM on Wheels (St. Louis, Missouri)
  • STEM SQUAD (Harvest, Alabama)
  • TechArts Empowerment Foundation, Inc. (El Segundo, California)
  • The Princess Program STEM (Upland, California)
  • The Story Collider (New York, New York)
  • Thinkatorium (Arlington, Texas)
  • Virtual Science Teachers (Chesapeake, Virginia)
  • WonderLab Museum of Science, Health & Technology (Bloomington, Indiana)
  • Youth Inspiration Nation Inc. (La Puente, California)
  • Youth Science Center (Oak Park, California)
  • Youth Technology Corps (Chicago, Illinois)

Capacity-Building Grantees (5)

  • Detroit Educational Takeover (Lathrup Village, Michigan)
  • Mississippi Delta Nature and Learning Center (Greenville, Mississippi)
  • SciAccess (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
  • Scientiae (Tallahassee, Florida)
  • SoundBio Lab (Seattle, Washington)

Since its launch in 2016, the STEM Action Grants program has awarded more than $1.7 million to 193 organizations across the United States and Puerto Rico. Learn more about the 61 organizations receiving support through the 2026 STEM Action Grants program here. This year’s funding is made possible through generous support from Simons Foundation International (with administrative support from the Simons Foundation’s Science, Society & Culture division), Regeneron and The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation.

For further information, please contact:

Aparna K. Paul (she/her)
Director of Communications
Society for Science
apaul@societyforscience.org | 781-375-8353