2021-22 PAsmart Advancing CS & STEM Education Grants – Feb 25

Posted by PA Department of Education on February 15, 2022

Applications are open for the 2021-22 PAsmart Advancing CS & STEM Education Grants. Applications are due March 21, 2022. Here is the press release and the link to the Grant Toolkit page, where interested applicants can view the Request for Applications, and register for an upcoming webinar and office hours. Please send any questions about the grant to RA-EDPAsmart@pa.gov.

Grant name: Advancing Computer Science and STEM Education Grants (Advancing Grants)

Grant purpose: To support collective impact approaches to expanding computer science (CS) and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education, by:

• Giving regions the opportunity to leverage or expand CS/STEM ecosystems;
• Growing partnerships between local educational agencies, postsecondary institutions, businesses, libraries, afterschool organizations, and other CS/STEM-focused organizations;
• Improving equitable access to CS/STEM experiences for learners of all ages, including historically underserved populations and adult learners; and
• Increasing the number of highly qualified CS/STEM educators at all levels of Pennsylvania’s education system.

Award Amount: Eligible applicants may request up to $500,000. Up to $10 million in competitive funding is available to support programs with increasing access and improving equity of access to computer science and STEM education locally and statewide to learners of all ages.

Letter of Intent: Notify PDE of your intent to apply by emailing RA-EDPAsmart@pa.gov by February 25, 2022. A letter of intent is encouraged but not required.

Application Deadline: Completed applications must be submitted in eGrants no later than 11:59 PM on Monday, March 21, 2022.

Grant Performance Period: Grant funds must be expended between March 1, 2022 and June 30, 2024.

Eligible Applicants: Applicants must submit in partnerships. Eligible lead applicants and partners include, but are not limited to, school districts, charter schools, intermediate units, CTCs, STEM ecosystems, non-profit organizations, local workforce development boards, businesses, and early childhood learning centers. A full list of eligible applicants is contained on pages 7-8 of the Request for Application in the Grant Toolkit. Applicant partnerships must include at least one of the following to serve as fiscal agent: a local educational agency (LEA), a postsecondary institution, or a public library.

The Request for Application (RFA) describes the requirements applicants will be expected to meet and the criteria that will be used to determine status as a successful applicant. More information, including past awards, is available at here.