NASA awards more than $5M to 29 institutions to expand STEM learning

NASA has awarded more than $5 million to 29 institutions nationwide to expand and strengthen science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) learning beyond the classroom, the agency announced Jan. 29, 2026. The awards are designed to help build skills that lead directly to STEM careers and support collaborations with libraries, after-school programs, and youth-serving groups to provide sustainable learning opportunities that inspire future innovators.

"NASA’s TEAM II awards enable us to reach students where they are, be it a library, after-school program, or museum," said Elaine Ho, associate administrator of the Office of STEM Engagement at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "By extending NASA’s discoveries to students everywhere we can build a powerful network of collaborators who are primed to deliver resources and programming that can transform outcomes for the next generation of explorers." The awards include STEM Innovator Awards, under which NASA selected 18 institutions to receive nearly $4.5 million in cooperative agreements to help deliver NASA STEM experiences to broad regional audiences.

Selected STEM Innovator institutions include the American Museum of Natural History in New York, Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, the University of California, Berkeley, Orlando Science Center in Florida, and the National Space Grant Foundation in Puerto Rico, among others.

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