LANL Foundation News:

ESPAÑOLA — Sixteen schools and community-based organizations throughout Northern New Mexico received grants to support the work they are doing to innovate STEAM education. 

Made possible by $100,000 in funding from the National Nuclear Security Administration for STEM career pipeline development, this one-year grant initiative will support hands-on learning and help to build a regional STEAM framework — an educational approach that integrates Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math to foster inquiry, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.

The LANL Foundation, LANL Community Partnerships Office (CPO), and the Northern New Mexico STEAM Coalition began collaborating last year toward developing the framework, with the aim of aligning schools, districts, college and universities, out of school time programs, and other organizations around a common approach to help students gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence to succeed in 21st Century STEAM careers. Over the last year, STEAM Coalition members and partners have created a model framework that grantees will test. This includes understanding current opportunities, identifying gaps, and working together to coordinate and scale up successful programs.

“Good work is happening throughout our region. Even though participants work in different parts of our education ecosystem, we have common aspirations for the kinds of opportunities we want our children and youth to have. These grants are supporting our students to access the opportunities that will help them to develop the STEM skills, knowledge, and identities they need to thrive in the 21st Century,” said LANL Foundation K-12 Director Kersti Tyson.

“At Los Alamos National Laboratory, our Community Partnerships Office recognizes the importance of investing in learning and human potential,” said CPO Director Kathy Keith. “These grants will enrich the student-experience in the seven counties surrounding the Laboratory, which are Los Alamos, Mora, Rio Arriba, Sandoval, San Miguel, Santa Fe and Taos.”

Grant recipients include:

• Ojo Caliente Elementary (Mesa Vista Consolidated Schools)
  Learning to be Self-Sufficient with Food
  $3,200 to implement classroom hydroponics and mycology systems for K–12 students to explore food systems, environmental sustainability, and biology through hands-on STEAM learning.
• Collins Lake Autism Center
  SOMA Program
  $10,000 to sustain SOMA Days, a weekly out-of-school enrichment program focused on outdoor education, arts, and food systems for students in Mora County.
• Santa Fe Public Schools
  Math Microcredentials Professional Development
  $10,000 to support K–5 educators completing advanced Math Microcredentials, improving inquiry-based instruction and connecting teacher learning to after-school STEAM programs.
• West Las Vegas Middle School
  Moving Water
  $3,000 to deliver a place-based water education project combining classroom learning, guest speakers, and environmental partnerships.
• Española Valley High School
  MESA Makers & Mentors: Student-Led STEM for Opportunity, Leadership, and Community Impact
  $10,000 for a student-led initiative creating STEM video tutorials, building leadership and expanding access to project-based STEAM learning.
• Chama Valley Arts
  Art Fridays with Chama Schools
  $5,000 to continue monthly hands-on arts integration for PreK–8 students, supporting academic engagement and creative exploration.
• Twirl, A Play & Discovery Space, Inc.
  PlayLabz
  $10,000 to deliver in-class, standards-aligned STEAM programming to all 2nd and 3rd grade students in Taos Municipal Schools, along with support for family engagement activities.
• STEMarts Lab
  Preparing Future Innovators Through STEAM and AI for Social Good
  $10,000 to support summer and school-year programming that engages youth in space science, AI, and art-based technology exploration, including internships and public art projects.
• McCurdy Charter School
  Pollinator Power: Building a Monarch-Friendly STEAM Classroom
  $1,900 to develop a classroom library and science unit focused on pollinators, linking literacy with environmental education.
• Arroyos del Norte Elementary School
  Interactive STEAM Playground Element for Outdoor Learning and Play
  $6,500 to co-create a STEAM playground installation in partnership with NM Tech students, encouraging inquiry during play and structured activities.
• Cuba Independent School District
  Middle School STEAM Lab Room
  $10,000 to equip classrooms for hands-on STEAM instruction and after-school programming.
• Embudo Valley Tutoring Association
  EVL After School Program
  $10,000 to support a four-day-per-week STEAM-based after-school program that blends academics, cultural learning, and creative exploration in Dixon, NM.
• Picuris Pueblo Education Department
  STEAM for Picuris Pueblo Youth
  $10,000 to expand culturally grounded, out-of-school STEAM programming, including Indigenous career panels, field trips, and hands-on science activities.
• Northern NM Recreation and Outdoor Conservation Foundation
  STEAM Programming in Chama
  $5,000 to enhance in- and out-of-school programming with materials for robotics, coding, and arts-based science learning.
• Bernalillo Public School District
  STEM Specials
  $10,000 to launch weekly STEM Specials for K–6 students using Project Lead the Way modules aligned to career pathways.
• Taos Municipal School District
  Improving OpenSciEd Biology Instruction
  $1,100 to support professional development in the OpenSciEd curriculum to improve high school biology instruction and prepare for future STEAM coursework expansion.

Through these grants, the LANL Foundation continues its commitment to high-quality education across Northern New Mexico. All grantees shared insights that will continue to help shape the regional STEAM Framework to serve students and educators for years to come.