Over the past couple of years, I’ve worked with a number of K–12 and higher education teachers and IT directors on their technology projects. Time and again, we’ve seemed to run into budget issues—is there funding to fulfill the project the way the educators envision it? Unfortunately, sometimes the answer is no, and schools have to edit down or remove valuable pieces from their technology plans. That’s why I’m excited that Connection is partnering with Grants Office, LLC and Lenovo to talk about funding opportunities specifically designed to financially support your whole vision, not just pieces of it.
We can help you find federal, state and local, and other types of grant funding in order to bring your project to fruition, and today, I’d like to share some strategies for submitting a grant application.
Grant Opportunity: STEM + Computing Partnership Program
Grantor: National Science Foundation
Eligibility: Higher Education Institutions, LEAs, Nonprofit Organizations, State and Local Governments, Tribal Organizations, and For-Profit Entities
Funding Details:
- 25–35 awards
- Cost share not required
- Up to $250,000 for 3 years based on award and focus
Timeline: Anticipated March 2018 (solicitation expected December/January)
Here are 3 key pieces of advice when developing your STEM+C project proposal:
- Be STEM Focused: Your project should focus on integrating computational thinking approaches in Pre-K–12 and/or teaching education and professional development interventions in one or more STEM disciplines.
- Create a Partnership: This is an excellent grant for K–12 schools to partner with higher education institutions on. A college or university can serve to conduct the research while the K–12 will be the testing ground.
- Ask a Grant Expert: Connection has partnered with Grants Office, LLC to give you the opportunity to consult with a grants expert at no charge through remainder of our webcast series. This one-hour consultation gives you the opportunity to get feedback on your project ideas and ask any questions specific to applying for the STEM+C grant.
We recently aired a webcast with Grants Office and Lenovo with even more information on how grant funding can get your school the technology you need. Take a listen – Preparing Students to Participate in the STEM Workforce! And be sure to let us know what kind of project your institution is pursuing in the comments.
Penny Conway
Penny has a passion for enabling digital transformation through cloud solutions and services. With a background in managed services for hardware and software across the partner ecosystem, she seeks to break down complex solutions into industry-relevant conversations with customers regardless of where they are on their cloud journey. When she isn’t networking on LinkedIn, or hosting podcasts and webcasts, she really enjoys cooking and having dance parties with her daughter.
