Informal STEM Education Opportunities Newsletter
August 2023
Welcome to the Informal STEM Education Opportunities Newsletter: a collection of opportunities, funding, and other programs of interest for folks in informal STEM learning spaces, brought to you by Improved Insights.
In addition to our existing monthly newsletter (which goes in-depth on an informal STEM learning evaluation topic), this newsletter highlights a selection of upcoming opportunities of particular interest to those working in informal STEM education.
Here are a few things that caught our eye this month:
Funding/RFPs:
The Assembly Grants Program, an initiative of Bellwether, in partnership with the Walton Family Foundation, invites applicants for grants of up to $100,000. Grants will support organizations in designing or developing new solutions to help families furthest from opportunity access flexible, personalized learning options. Eligible entities include family-serving organizations, technology companies or providers, and state agencies or state program administrators. Applications are due by August 22, 2023.
Million Girls Moonshot’s Teen Science Café is seeking interested ISE leaders to bring the program to their communities. Teen Science Café is focused on providing access to engineering programming outside of school to teens who are underrepresented in STEM careers. Selected applicants will receive a $2,500 stipend to run the 2023-2024 Teen Science Café program. Applications are due September 1, 2023.
The NASA Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions program is seeking proposals from informal education organizations for 2-4 year projects that promote inquiry- or experiential-based opportunities that align with NASA's mission for students, with a primary focus on grades 5-8. The application deadline is September 12, 2023.
The Experiential Learning for Emerging and Novel Technologies (ExLENT) program at NSF is seeking applications from non-profits, companies, schools, and other professional organizations in order to provide individuals with the experiential STEM learning opportunities needed to accelerate the Nation’s innovation capacity and address growing STEM workforce needs. Applications are due September 14, 2023.
West Michigan Youth Programs, an initiative of The Gerber Foundation, is seeking applications from public nonprofits and governmental entities for grants ranging from $5,000-$10,000. Grants will support projects serving youth from 0-18 years of age, with special emphasis on projects that focus on education, early childhood services, and informal education programs.
Jobs & Fellowships:
The Museum of Science in Boston, MA is seeking a Senior Research and Evaluation Associate. The associate will lead research and evaluation studies and projects and work to secure funding for project ideas. Applicants should have a minimum of four (4) years of experience in educational or social science research and evaluation.
The Overdeck Family Foundation seeks to hire a full-time Portfolio Associate at their New York City office to support its grantmaking focused on out-of-school learning, with a primary focus on the Inspired Minds portfolio and a secondary focus on the Early Impact portfolio. The Associate will source new grantees; analyze and synthesize research, data, and field trends to facilitate learning; support grantee data collection and analysis; and efficiently manage the grantmaking workflow of the portfolio.
The Children & Nature Network (C&NN) is seeking a Research Library Curator for a contract position. The Researcher will work with an existing part-time curator to maintain the quality, relevance, utility, and timeliness of information included in the Research Library collection. Applications should be submitted no later than August 28, 2023.
The Afterschool Alliance is recruiting 7-10 youths to serve as Youth Ambassadors and share their perspectives on afterschool programs with a national audience. Applications are being accepted through August 31, 2023. Applicants must be 13 years or older to apply.
NTEN’s year-long Digital Inclusion Fellowship supports local nonprofit leaders in creating and building programs that serve their communities. Employees of nonprofits and social service agencies with backgrounds in community work and program management in locations where fellowships are available (locations include Cleveland OH, Atlanta GA, Des Moines IA, etc.) are encouraged to apply by September 1, 2023.
The Detroit Zoological Society is seeking a Director of Conservation. The Director will develop, conduct, facilitate, and oversee field research and conservation projects, among other responsibilities. Applications are being accepted through September 1, 2023.
Professional Development, Continuing Education, & Upcoming Webinars:
Canisius University is offering a brand new Master’s program in Informal Education and Interpretation starting this coming fall, 2023. This online graduate program is designed for anyone interested in education outside of the traditional classroom setting. Applications will be accepted through the first week of September 2023.
Conferences:
The Australian Citizen Science Association invites you to submit abstracts for their 2023 Conference: Inspire, Impact, Influence. Submissions may be for long talks, speed talks, symposia, and/or posters, and must be submitted by August 25, 2023. The conference will be held November 21-23, 2023 on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia.
The Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness (SREE) 2023 Conference, Embedding Equity for Better Methods, Evidence, and Practice will focus on embedding equity into research and practice. The conference will be held in Arlington, Virginia September 27-30, 2023.
Evaluation 2023 is the annual conference of the American Evaluation Association. The AEA will convene in Indianapolis, Indiana October 9-14, 2023 for several days of skill-building, idea-sharing, networking, and more.
Grantmakers for Education presents their annual conference, In Pursuit of Justice: Creating Contexts to Thrive. The conference will be held October 10-12, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia, and will focus on how to develop comprehensive and inclusive systems of learning that benefit all.
Other opportunities we should highlight? Jot them in the comments. If you liked this newsletter, please share it with a colleague.
