To prepare the students of Iowa for future success, the STEM BEST Program will focus on developing programs that foster opportunities for growth within the high demand skill sets. These future-focused skills align with the Iowa Core Universal Constructs and create opportunities for students to be poised to become leaders and innovators of a future-focused Iowa.
The STEM Council is working to dramatically expand STEM BEST® (Business Engaging Students and Teachers) via a Request for Proposals. The STEM BEST RFP offers:
Award amounts up to $40,000.
The timeframe for expenditure is 17 months – February 2024 to June 2025.
Cost-share requirement is 2:1 match required, or $40,000 state to $20,000 awardee.
The goal of this STEM BEST fund is to support the launch of 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
APPLICATION AND PROGRAM TIMELINE
October 2, 2023: Application portal opensDecember 13, 2023: Application due by 11:59pmDecember 2023 - January, 2024: Application ReviewFebruary 2024: Awards AnnouncedFebruary 2024 - May 2025: STEM BEST Program Planning and ImplementationMay 15, 2025: Progress Report and final invoice must be submittedMay 15, 2026: Final Report Due
ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS Applications for STEM BEST® Program must be submitted by established Iowa public and non-public school districts and buildings serving students in grades K-12. Clusters of schools and/or districts are encouraged to apply. This requirement then verifies that the submitting entity will be the responsible fiscal agent. The application must also contain evidence of the roles assumed by the partnering school/districts and other identified partners.
Different school buildings within an Iowa district may submit an independent STEM BEST proposal in the same proposal period. Individual school buildings may not submit more than one proposal in the same proposal period, unless one is for school-specific BEST creation and another is part of a multi-district consortium. In instances where this policy does not apply, please contact the Governor's STEM Advisory Council, info@IowaSTEM.org
For those applicants who have previously received a STEM BEST® Program award or who intend to connect to a past STEM BEST® Program awardee, please note that there is an additional required section in the proposal form that must be completed as part of the submission process. This section will be thoroughly reviewed to determine merits of the expanded program model with regards to student engagement, specific measurable outcomes and elements of financial need. Also, if the number of total proposals submitted exceeds funding available, priority will be given to those proposals submitted by schools/school districts not previously awarded a STEM BEST.
For more information and resources to apply, please visit IowaSTEM.org/STEMBEST
