STEM BEST® (Businesses Engaging Students and Teachers) Program

Interested in applying for STEM BEST? Click here to register to attend upcoming events.

To prepare the students of Iowa for future success, the STEM BEST + HD (High Demand) Program will focus on developing programs that foster opportunities for growth within the identified skill sets in the diagram below. 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 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 developing the skill sets for success in STEM pathways.

“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:

1. Award amounts up to $40,000.

2. The timeframe for expenditure is 17 months – February 2024 to June 2025.

3. 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 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 2, 2023: Application portal opens
December 13, 2023: Application due by 11:59pm
December 2023 - January, 2024: Application Review
February 2024: Awards Announced
February 2024 - May 2025: STEM BEST Program Planning and Implementation
May 15, 2025: Progress Report and final invoice must be submitted to:
- Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council, Attn: Program Manager, 214 East Bartlett Hall, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA 50614
May 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.

REQUIREMENTS

An applicant is required to provide a 2:1 match, if seeking the full $40,000 you required cost-share would be $20,000. The match may be either cash and/or in-kind support and match may be contributed by the applicant or a community partner. To be eligible as match, the cash and/or in-kind contribution must be provided during the funding period of the STEM BEST® Program award.