Proposals Now Being Accepted for $125,000 in K-12 Catalyst Grants for STEM Education

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AIKEN, S.C. – Battelle Savannah River Alliance, LLC, the manager and operator of Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL), announced Wednesday the availability of $125,000 for its 2023 K-12 Catalyst Grants for STEM Education.

One-time grants in the amount of $2,500 or $5,000 are available to educators to advance activities and programs relating to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in classrooms. Applicants must be a certified K-12 teacher or school administrator in public, charter, or independent STEM schools within the Central Savannah River Area. Applications/proposals are being accepted now through May 31, 2023, and grants will be awarded in August 2023.

BSRA awarded $125,000 in STEM educational grants to six local organizations in 2022:

Barnwell County Consolidated School District, Williston School District, $10,000
Public Education Partners, $10,000
Dreams Imagination and Gift Development Program, $50,000
Boys and Gils Clubs of Greater Augusta and Aiken, $22,500 each
ABBE Region Library System, Barnwell County Library, $10,000

“Because of last year’s generous donation, Dreams Imagination & Gift Development Program (DIG) is able to continue to provide STEM education for rural growth and development,” said DIG Program Director Shelby Broomfield. “Last year’s grant allowed DIG to continue serving students through its after-school programming and our Annual DIG STEM Festival. It also provided the opportunity for DIG to open a second summer camp for 2023 in in Allendale, South Carolina. It is because of companies like SRNL/BSRA that we are able to serve the youth in our community, said Broomfield.”

According to Latrece Quattlebaum, K-12 literacy instructional specialist with Barnwell County Consolidated School District 48, last year’s grant helped scholars of Williston-Elko Middle School extend their understanding of content and concepts through hands-on activities, such as human body mapping and galaxy exploration. “Your donation has allowed the faculty, scholars and community of Williston to witness firsthand the powerful positive instructional benefits that are possible when supportive partnerships are established to meet student-centered needs,” Quattlebaum said.

To select grant recipients, a panel of former educators now working at SRNL, SRNL leadership and SRNL researchers will judge each proposal using a rubric scoring guide that includes the following measures:

Clear Description of Proposed Curriculum or Activity
Real-world Application
Connection to STEM
Purpose and Goals
Budget Description
Sharing of Lessons Learned

A hyperlink to the online application, Q&As and other information about the K-12 Catalyst Grants for STEM Education can be found at www.battellesra.org/catalyst.

In June 2021, Savannah River National Laboratory (https://srnl.doe.gov/) transitioned to management and operations under Battelle Savannah River Alliance, LLC (BSRA), a not-for-profit limited liability company (www.battellesra.org). The BSRA leadership includes Battelle Memorial Institute, Clemson University, University of South Carolina, South Carolina State University, University of Georgia, and Georgia Institute of Technology. Battelle Memorial Institute and the above five leading universities are joined in in partnership with Longenecker & Associates and TechSource Inc with a singular purpose of maintaining SRNL as a best-in-class national laboratory.