The Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council has awarded 118 STEM BEST® Programs since 2014 with an opportunity to grow a series of community collaborations involving school+business partnerships. Working side-by-side, teachers and industry professionals will craft curriculum and projects that prepare students for exciting career pathways in the STEM fields of manufacturing, information technology, bioscience (agriculture and medicine), finance, and more.
“The STEM BEST satellite model will allow students to experience the industry or business environment firsthand. That experience is vital to prepare students for STEM success in college or career training after high school, and it allows business and industry to introduce students to outstanding career opportunities.” –Governor Kim Reynolds, co-chair of the STEM Council.
The STEM Council is working to dramatically expand STEM BEST® (Business Engaging Students and Teachers) via a Request for Proposals. The STEM BEST + HD RFP offers:
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Award amounts up to $40,000.
- The timeframe for expenditure is 17 months – February 2023 to June 2024.
- Cost-share requirement is 2:1 match required, or $40,000 state to $20,000 awardee.
The goal of this STEM BEST+ H.D. fund is to support the launch of up to 20+ new or expanded STEM BEST K-12 models specifically focused on creating work based learning opportunities that allow students to develop future focused, high demand skills through authentic real world experiences (Future of Jobs Report 2020, World Economic Forum).
Application and Program Timeline:
- October 3, 2022- Application Opens
- December 14, 2022 - Application Deadline
- February 2023 - Awards announced
- February 2023 - May 2024 - Implementation
Congratulations to the 2021-22 STEM BEST grant recipients in Northeast Iowa;
- Central Elementary School - Elkader
- Don Bosco High School - Gilbertville
- Kee High School - Lansing
- Crestwood High School - Cresco
- MFL MarMac High School - Monona
- North Tama Elementary School - Traer
- Wapsie Valey High School - Fairbank
STEM BEST schools in Northeast Iowa
- Allamakee Community School District (Awarded in 2018-19)
- CF CAPS - Cedar Falls High School (Awarded in 2018-19)
- CF CAPS - Cedar Falls High School (Awarded in 2017-18)
- CF CAPS - Cedar Falls High School (Awarded in 2020-21)
- Clayton Co. BEST - Central Community School District (Awarded in 2018-19)
- Columbus High School - Cedar Valley Catholic Schools (Awarded in 2020-21)
- Iowa BIG North - New Hampton High School (Awarded in 2015-16)
- Iowa BIG North - Riceville High School (Awarded in 2017-18)
- Iowa BIG North - Turkey Valley High School (Awarded in 2017-18)
- Jesup CAPS - Jesup High School (Awarded in 2019-20)
- New Hampton High School (Awarded in 2019-20)
- North Fayette Valley Community School District (Awarded in 2020-21)
- Oelwein Huskies Project One - Oelwein High School (Awarded in 2017-18)
- DelCo BEST - West Delaware County High School (Awarded in 2016-17)
- North Cedar Elementary - Cedar Falls Community School District (Awarded in 2016-17)
- Waterloo Career Center - Waterloo Community Schools (Awarded in 2019-20)
To learn more about Iowa STEM BEST, please visit www.IowaSTEM.org/STEMBEST