Empowering Upstate NY STEM Education
RSA and the National Grid Foundation are thrilled to announce the launch of the Rural Schools Maker Space Initiative, a targeted program designed to close the STEM access gap for students attending schools rural communities in New York.
Made possible by funding from the National Grid Foundation and in collaboration with our STEM partner, Teacher Geek, this initiative will provide five rural elementary schools with fully equipped, mobile Maker Carts. Each cart features over 18,000 STEM components to bring hands-on engineering directly into rural classrooms that currently lack dedicated lab spaces.
This initiative is about much more than just delivering a mobile maker space. We know that rural schools face unique barriers to STEM instruction, including limited budgets and geographic isolation. To truly shift student outcomes, we must equip our educators. That is why this grant also includes $2,000 in dedicated professional development per district.
By pairing best-in-class resources with sustained teacher training, we want to ensure these maker spaces empower educators to help youth in rural communities experience the profound joy, creativity, and confidence that hands-on STEM learning provides.
APPLICATION DEADLINE IS FRIDAY, MAY 29th!
GRANT HIGHLIGHTS
- The Hardware: Mobile Maker Carts loaded with STEM components and an NGSS-aligned curriculum supporting 40+ engineering projects.
- The Training: Professional development to prepare K–6 educators to confidently integrate maker pedagogy into their instruction.
- The Impact: Reaching 500–750 students directly in Year 1, with a lifespan designed to serve thousands more over the next five years.
APPLICATION DEADLINE IS FRIDAY, MAY 29th!
To ensure as many school districts have an opportunity to access this opportunity, school districts are only permitted to submit one application per district. We encourage district leadership to collaborate internally to select the elementary school with the highest demonstrated need.
For any questions regarding the grant application or the Maker Space Initiative, please contact Scott Bischoping at sbischoping@rsany.org.
Made possible by funding from the National Grid Foundation
