Who is Funding Informal STEM Education?
Welcome to Insights & Opportunities: A Hub for Informal STEM Education! Insights & Opportunities is a twice-monthly newsletter for educators, administrators, legislators, and advocates who recognize the importance of informal STEM learning.
This newsletter is brought to you by me, Sarah Dunifon, and my team at Improved Insights. I’m a long-time STEM educator, researcher, and equity advocate. Along with my team, I now work on cutting-edge informal STEM learning research and evaluation.
Each edition of this newsletter offers exciting insights, resources, and opportunities for informal STEM learning professionals, including funding, jobs, professional development, informal STEM learning research, evaluation tips and resources, and so much more! We hope you find it valuable. Now, let’s get started.
Who is Funding Informal STEM Education?
Today, we’ll continue with another installment in our series examining Dr. Sarah Dunifon’s research on funding priorities and evaluation policies of informal STEM learning funding organizations.
The following content is based on or excerpted from Dr. Dunifon’s dissertation, An Examination of Evaluation Policies and Funding Priorities in Informal STEM Education. The research cited in this piece was conducted between April 2022 and March 2023. You can access the full dissertation here.
In an earlier piece, we profiled the types of organizations supporting informal STEM education (ISE) in the United States. We found ISE funders to mainly be corporate philanthropies, government agencies, and private foundations. Most of these were large organizations with an annual grant-making spend of over $1M.
Now, let’s explore the “who” - here you’ll find our list of 42 funders who were supporting ISE in 2022 (when our research began). We hope it is helpful to all of our friends and followers who serve ISE communities in their important work.
To read the full article, check it out in our Insights.
Our Updates
Improved Insights is growing! We are currently seeking a part-time (5-10 hours/week) Research and Evaluation Consultant to assist with tasks like literature reviews, instrument development, data collection, data analysis, and reporting. The ideal candidate will be passionate about informal STEM learning and have at least three years of experience in evaluation and/or learning research. Hourly wage is between $35-$47/hour, commensurate with experience. If you are interested, please review the linked job posting and reach out with the requested information to hello@improvedinsights.com by Thursday, October 31st.
60-Second Suggestions
Here are a few of my favorite things this month, usually pertaining to informal STEM education and evaluation, but occasionally some fun personal stuff, too.
Ruling Our Experiences has recently published The Girls Index: Girls and STEM Impact Report. The report discusses the complex landscape of STEM for girls, and provides recommendations to help girls overcome potential barriers to pursuing STEM careers. The takeaways from this report reveal that girls’ perceptions of their role and abilities in STEM still present challenges, though interest in pursuing STEM careers is on the rise
Native STEM Portraits (NSP) is a mixed-methods study conducted in collaboration by TERC, the University of Georgia, and Advancing Indigenous People in STEM (AISES). The project explores the supports and barriers experienced by Native undergraduates, graduate students, and professionals in STEM through participant-generated photographs, captions, and interview quotes. Check out the page to view these collections and learn more about the STEM journeys of Native students and professionals.
It’s October and we all know what that means… Spooky Lake Month is back! Geo Rutherford, an artist, author, and teacher from Sauk City, Wisconsin, began her TikTok series in October of 2020 as a way to explore eerie (no pun intended) hydrological phenomena around the world. If you’re looking for a special interest rabbit hole to fall down, this series is equal parts fascinating, fun, and spine-tingling.
Opportunities
Check out these new opportunities for the informal STEM learning community.
Funding:
2024 Grant Cycle, The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, average of $65,000. Nonprofits, including informal learning and afterschool organizations, serving the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area are invited to apply for grants in five program areas, including education and community services. The Foundation seeks to support programs that help young people improve their academic performance, focus on career readiness, and support a high-quality and equitable education system. Submissions are due November 1, 2024.
Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL), National Science Foundation (NSF), up to $3.5 Million over 5 years. NSF's Advanced Informal STEM Learning (AISL) Program is seeking project submissions from informal STEM learning organizations. Grants will be awarded to five project types: (1) Synthesis; (2) Conference; (3) Partnership Development and Planning; (4) Integrating Research and Practice; and (5) Research in Support of Wide-reaching Public Engagement with STEM. The program seeks proposals that center engagement, broadening participation, and belonging. Up to $3.5 million in funding over five years is available in certain project categories. Submissions are due January 8, 2025.
Behavior Change for Climate Action Challenge 2024, The Center for Behavior and Climate (CBC), free technical assistance and $7,200. Nonprofits are invited to engage in a challenge to address the climate crisis through behavioral and social change. Four nonprofits will be selected to receive free technical assistance and $7,200 in funds to apply to an existing or new climate action project. Projects should emphasize collective and individual efforts to address climate change including energy conservation, public action, food choices, tree planting, soil restoration, and others. Challenge submissions are due November 1, 2024.
Increasing Access to Out-of-School Learning Opportunities, William Penn Foundation, varies by operating budget. Out-of-school time organizations serving children ages 3-8 in Philadelphia are invited to apply for up to three years of funding. Examples of programs that will receive support include academic programs (e.g., tutoring), multi-purpose (e.g., homework help, enrichment), and specialty programs (e.g., art, music, sports, STEM). Submissions are due October 25, 2024.
National Leadership Grants for Museums, Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), $50,000-$750,000. Museums of all disciplines are invited to apply for grants designed to support projects that address critical needs of the museum field and that have the potential to advance practice in the profession to strengthen museum services for the American public. Applications are open through November 15, 2024.
Jobs and Fellowships:
Associate Director, Interpretation, Education, and Volunteers, National Parks Service (Washington, D.C.), $180,000. The Associate Director will provide leadership, policy development, program accountability, and budget formulation for interpretation and education programs. This includes leadership of visitor experience programs, implementation of comprehensive interpretive plans, and strategic planning for the directorate. Applications are due October 24, 2024.
Chief Learning Officer, Da Vinci Science Center (Allentown, PA), $95,000. The Chief Learning Officer will set and execute the strategic direction for Education, Innovation, and TechEd on the exhibit floor, in the classrooms, and at school and community sites. They will oversee the professional development and training of STEAM education professionals, and evaluate program offerings at Da Vinci to maximize the center's impact.
Director of Institute for STEM Ready America, STEM Next Opportunity Fund (Remote in the USA), $160,000. The Director of the Institute for a STEM Ready America will lead and manage the Institute, which is dedicated to inspiring and preparing youth for successful careers in STEM. They will provide strategic leadership, develop and oversee STEM grantmaking initiatives, build relationships with cross-sector partners, and conduct evaluation and improvement efforts. Applications are due October 20, 2024.
Environmental Education Coordinator, Monroe County Conservation District (Stroudsburg, PA), $50,000. The Environmental Education Coordinator will supervise and manage the day-to-day operations of the Environmental Education Center program. This includes the oversight of educators and support staff, collaboration with school districts to coordinate education programs, and development and instruction of programs. Applications are due October 30, 2024.
Manager, Zoology Collections and DNA Lab, Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) (Cincinnati, OH), $43,888. The Manager will lead scientific and public-facing work in the museum’s Zoology collections. This includes planning and development of a new museum facility, engagement with partners and guests in the CMC's public-facing DNA lab, and managing the live animal collection. Responsibilities will also include data management, specimen conservation and preparation for exhibits, and engagement with museum visitors.
Professional Development:
2025 IMLS Museum Grant Application Reviewer, Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The Office of Museum Services is seeking grant reviewers for the 2025 Institute of Museum and Library Services funding cycle. Selected reviewers will be eligible to receive an honorarium of either $300 or $500 for their service, depending on the type of review. On average, each reviewer will receive 7-12 applications, which will take on average 1 hour each to review. Reviewer applications are due December 6, 2024.
Evaluation 2024: Amplifying and Empowering Voices in Evaluation, American Evaluation Association (AEA), October 21-26, 2024 (Portland, OR). The AEA will convene for their annual conference in Portland, Oregon October 21-26, 2024 for peer-to-peer learning opportunities and collaboration. Evaluation 2024 will focus on mentoring those new to the evaluation field and elevation of fresh perspectives in the community. Register by October 20, 2024.
Introducing: Ecosystems Resilience! Webinar, Smithsonian Science Education Center, October 16, 2024, from 6:00-7:00 PM ET. Join the Smithsonian Science Education Center to discuss the newly released research guide, Ecosystem Resilience! How can people and ecosystems build resilience to change? The guide helps young people build their knowledge of characteristics that strong ecosystems display and reviews how to promote these characteristics. The webinar will take place on October 16, 2024, from 6:00-7:00 PM ET. Register to attend by 11:59 PM ET on October 15, 2024.
Mission Patagonia, Mission Patagonia Nature Guardians, February 2025 (Southern Chile). Mission Patagonia is an immersive environmental education program designed to foster a deep connection with nature while promoting an ecosystemic approach to conservation. Participants will engage in hands-on conservation activities and explorations of ecosystems in Castro City and the Melimoyu Elemental Reserve in southern Chile. The program will take place in February 2025. Applications must be submitted by November 31, 2024.
NNOCCI Week 2024, National Network for Ocean and Climate Change Interpretation (NNOCCI), October 21-25, 2024 (Virtual). NNOCCI Week is a week-long virtual celebration including educational workshops and breakout sessions. Sessions focus on activations around climate change, including engagement of youth leaders, training methods for informal educators, and accessible communication approaches. Sessions will take place October 21-25, 2024.
Thanks for tuning in to this edition of Insights and Opportunities. While you’re waiting for the next edition, tell your friends! We appreciate you sending along a blog post you enjoyed, a job opportunity you think a friend should apply for, and resources you found valuable. Sharing this newsletter is the best way to support this work. Until next time - thanks!
