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NASA has awarded more than $5 million to 29 institutions nationwide to expand and strengthen science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) learning beyond the classroom. The awards are designed to help build skills that lead directly to STEM careers. These organizations collaborate with libraries, after-school programs, and youth-serving groups to provide sustainable learning opportunities that inspire future innovators.
“NASA’s TEAM II awards enable us to reach students where they are, be it a library, after-school program, or museum,” said Elaine Ho, associate administrator of the Office of STEM Engagement at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “By extending NASA’s discoveries to students everywhere we can build a powerful network of collaborators who are primed to deliver resources and programming that can transform outcomes for the next generation of explorers.”
The institutions and their proposed projects were selected for NASA’s STEM Innovator, as well as the Community Anchor Awards. Both awards are part of the agency’s TEAMS Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions (TEAM II) program, which engages formal and informal educators, students, and communities in NASA’s missions as the nation enters a Golden Age of innovation and exploration.
Awardees for STEM Innovators act as regional hubs, building partnerships and networks to advance innovative informal STEM education practices. NASA selected 18 institutions to receive nearly $4.5 million in cooperative agreements to help deliver NASA STEM experiences to broad regional audiences. The selected institutions are:
STEM Innovator Awards
Advanced Methods in Innovation, Inc., Youngstown, Ohio
The American Museum of Natural History, New York
Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, Inc., Indiana
Discovery Center of Springfield, Inc., Springfield, Missouri
Discovery Place, Inc., Charlotte, North Carolina
Fab Lab, El Paso, Texas
Hawaii Science and Technology Museum, Hilo, Hawaii
Liberty Science Center, Inc., Jersey City, New Jersey
Montshire Museum of Science, Inc., Norwich, Vermont
Mount Washington Observatory, North Conway, New Hampshire
National Space Grant Foundation, Inc., San Juan, Puerto Rico
Orlando Science Center, Inc., Florida
The Regents of The University of California, Berkeley, California
Space for Teachers, Inc., Kenosha, Wisconsin
Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colorado
Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas
Universities Space Research Association, Washington
University of Montana, Missoula, Montana
Community Anchor awardees serve as a local resource, with projects created to introduce NASA content and opportunities to varied audiences. The agency selected 11 institutions to receive more than $547,000 in grants to help bring their projects to life and create new connections between their communities and NASA. The selected institutions are:
Community Anchor Awards
Children’s Museum of Idaho, Inc., Meridian, Idaho
Connecticut Science Center, Inc., Hartford, Connecticut
The Da Vinci Discovery Center of Science and Technology, Inc., Allentown, Pennsylvania
Exploration Place, Inc., Wichita, Kansas
Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts, Inc., Waltham, Massachusetts
Hawaii Keiki Museum, Waikoloa, Hawaii
Lykens Valley Children’s Museum, Elizabethville, Pennsylvania
Memphis Museums, Inc., Tennessee
National Space Science & Technology Institute, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Sciencenter Discovery Museum, Ithaca, New York
STEM Flights, Stephenson, Virginia
The awards are funded through the agency’s Next Generation STEM project, part of NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement, which creates innovative resources and hands-on experiences designed to ignite curiosity in STEM and help students discover pathways into the aerospace workforce.
For the latest NASA STEM events, activities, and news, visit:
https://stem.nasa.gov
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Gerelle DodsonHeadquarters, Washington202-358-1600gerelle.q.dodson@nasa.gov
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Last Updated
Jan 29, 2026
LocationNASA Headquarters
Related TermsLearning ResourcesNASA HeadquartersSTEM Engagement at NASA
