Who funds STEM education research?

We count 62 funded STEM education projects, active between 2024 and 2032, from 4 funders. The most came from NSF · EDU (46 projects), NASA (5 projects) and USDA (3 projects). The median award is $550K, across the 62 of 62 projects that list an amount.

Funded projects

62

Funders

4

Median award

$550K

Open calls now

5

Top funders of STEM education research

Projects whose title or summary mentions STEM education. Median award: of the projects that list an amount, in US dollars; “—” when fewer than 3 do.

Open STEM education funding calls

5 open calls mention STEM education today.

• IUSE: Innovation in Two-Year College STEM Education (ITYC)
  U.S. National Science FoundationUp to $600,000Deadline: December 9, 2026 ·
  Real odds: About 1 in 4 funded (28% · NSF Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE), all proposals, FY2024)
• Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Directorate for STEM Education (IUSE: EDU)
  U.S. National Science Foundation$200,000 – $2,000,000Deadline: January 20, 2027 ·
  Real odds: About 1 in 4 funded (28% · NSF Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE), all proposals, FY2024)
• IUSE / Professional Formation of Engineers: Revolutionizing Engineering Departments (IUSE/PFE: RED)
  U.S. National Science Foundation$50,000 – $2,000,000Deadline: April 13, 2027 ·
• NSF STEM K-12 (STEM K-12)
  U.S. National Science FoundationNot specifiedDeadline: Rolling (no fixed deadline listed)
  Real odds: About 1 in 7 funded (15% · NSF Division of Research on Learning (DRL), all proposals, FY2024)
• National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program - Opportunities in NASA STEM FY 2020 – 2024
  National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationUp to $700,000Deadline: Not listed

Real odds

• About 1 in 4 funded · 28% · NSF Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE), all proposals, FY2024 · NSF funding rates (directorate page)
• About 1 in 7 funded · 15% · NSF Division of Research on Learning (DRL), all proposals, FY2024 · NSF funding rates (directorate page)

Published success rates for the programs behind the open calls above: the share of applications the funder funded, program-wide, not for this topic.

Funded STEM education projects

A sample, latest start first, at most three per program.

• STEM Teacher Leadership through Action Research in Rural Communities
  NSF · EDU · $2,999,999 · ends 2032
• Implementation Project: Building Capacity in STEM Education and Research through Artificial Intelligence at the University of the Virgin Islands
  NSF · EDU · $2,999,988 · ends 2031
• Implementation Project: Integrating Artificial Intelligence and Research-Based Experiential Learning into STEM Curriculum to Enhance Education and Student Retention
  NSF · EDU · $3,000,000 · ends 2031
• United community corporation (ucc) in newark nj proposes a youth stem innovation and exploration program to provide hands-on nasa-aligned…
  NASA · $1,000,000 · ends 2031
• Agriculture is becoming increasingly dependent on advanced technologies such as sensors, drones, artificial intelligence (ai), and…
  USDA · $650,000 · ends 2030
• Collaborative Research: RET Site: Linking Polymer Engineering with Rural STEM Education to Catalyze Community Engagement
  NSF · ENG · $383,734 · ends 2029
• RET Site: Feel the Force: Bringing Mechanobiology to 6-12 Classrooms
  NSF · ENG · $600,000 · ends 2029
• The importance of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (stem) education and experiences for our youth cannot be ignored
  USDA · $780,000 · ends 2029
• The project addresses 4 critical issues to advance urban food systems and solutions, agricultural and stem education, and community…
  USDA · $500,000 · ends 2029
• SBIR Phase II: Colleague AI: Building Next-Generation K-12 STEM Learning Environments through Specialized AI Models
  NSF · TIP · $1,250,000 · ends 2028

How we count

Funded projects come from public award records (NIH RePORTER, NSF, EU CORDIS, UKRI Gateway to Research, Wellcome, the Gates Foundation, DOE, NASA and USDA NIFA) whose title or summary matches “stem education or stem learning or stem teaching”. NIH lists each budget year separately; one project counts once. Amounts are as the funder lists them; medians use only projects that list one, in US dollars. Open calls and forecasts are from our listings of October 28, 2026. A project can mention a topic without being mainly about it, so treat the counts as a guide to who funds the area.