Funding Opportunities

The Lancaster County STEM Alliance (LCSA) is proud to support a variety of STEM initiatives within Lancaster County. We provide funding to nonprofit, charitable organizations that are exempt from income taxes and located within the county. Our grants are aimed at enhancing and launching innovative and creative STEM programming.

 

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and  Inclusion

 

LCSA requires all grant applicants to demonstrate a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). This commitment must be evident in both principle and practice, ensuring services and opportunities are accessible to all, regardless of age, disability, economic status, ethnicity, gender identity, race, religion, sexual orientation, or other characteristics. DEI integration is a critical evaluation criterion for funding.

 

LCSA Grant  Opportunities

The Lancaster County STEM Alliance (LCSA) provides funding to support programs that enhance STEM education and career exploration. Our funding priorities focus on key areas that foster critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity across diverse learning environments.

 

For additional guidance, we encourage applicants to watch the informational webinar and review our Grants FAQ document for further details, resources, clarifications, and answers to commonly asked questions.

 

The timeline for the 2026 Grant Cycle is as follows:

2026 Grant Cycle Opens on January 2, 2026.

ALL GRANT APPLICATIONS DUE FEBRUARY 23, 2026.

Grant Recipients announced March 2026.

ALL GRANT DOLLARS TO BE SPENT DECEMBER 31, 2026.

 

How will I know if my proposal is accepted or rejected?
Every applicant will be contacted, regardless of whether or not they receive funding. If your proposal is not awarded, it is most often due to one of the following reasons:

  • The proposal lacked a clearly defined vision, goals, or measurable outcomes.
  • The project did not align closely enough with LCSA’s primary focus areas.
  • Limited funding prevented us from supporting all strong applications.

While we are unable to provide individualized feedback for every submission, we encourage applicants to revisit our funding priorities and consider applying in future grant cycles.

 

Out-of-School STEM Learning

The 2026 Lancaster STEM Alliance Grant Recipients

Edible Classroom Edible Classroom is expanding their summer programming at Columbia SD and SDoL for elementary students while incorporating paid internships who are high school FFA students/mentors from both districts.
Intermediate Unit 13 The IU13 is launching “STEM in Action: Real-World Experiences for Online Learners”.  This program addresses STEM learning gaps by engaging virtual learning students from 11 districts with twelve in-person workshops at various community sites.
Elizabethtown Child Care Center ECCC will launch the Discovery STEM Club; serving children ages 3–10 during weekday after-school hours and early evening. Programming will include STEM labs such as “Tiny Engineers,” “Nature Detectives,” and “Coding Through Play.”

STEM Career Exploration

The 2026 Lancaster STEM Alliance Grant Recipients

Bright Side Opportunities Center Bright Side is launching “SisMantle Tech”. It will operate in collaboration with a new partner Playmakers Summer Lab: Girls Leading Tech & Business, a six-week summer workforce and entrepreneurship initiative serving high school girls. SisMantle Tech moves beyond traditional coding camps by integrating entrepreneurship, AI literacy, and real client engagement into STEM learning.
Lancaster Science Factory The Pittsburgh Children’s Museum (PCM) will customize their “How People Make Things” travelling exhibit for permanent installation at the Lancaster Science Factory. Working with local manufacturers in Lancaster County and designers at PCM they will create a 1,000 sq ft exhibit area that teaches students in pre-k through 8th grade and their families about manufacturing careers in our community through interactive experiences.

In-School K-12 Project Based Learning

The 2026 Lancaster STEM Alliance Grant Recipients

 

Junior Achievement JA has intentionally integrated STEM into two of its most popular programs: JA BizTown for 5th–6th grade students and JA STEM Summit for 9th–10th grade students. These programs allow students to explore how STEM careers align with their individual talents, interests, and strengths. Expanding at no cost into districts.
Robotic WorX Robotic WorX (RWI) will partner with MANTEC, Millersville University, Precision Cobotics (PCI), Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology , and 5 to 8 Lancaster County high schools to launch a new program called “Autonomous Mobile Robot” (AMR) Enablement Program that will serve local manufacturers while expanding student exposure to advanced automation careers.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging in STEM Learning

The 2026 Lancaster STEM Alliance Grant Recipients

Lancaster Recreation Commission Funding will launch the “STEM in Motion” initiative that will deploy a co-branded, solar-powered cargo e-trike to deliver hands-on, inclusive STEM learning directly into neighborhoods, parks and public spaces.
Common Wheel Funding will launch new tiered programming that will unite the Earn a Bike program with the student led Youth Bike Workshops. A STEM professional has adapted their curriculum and the bike workshop locations offer geographic accessibility.
Cocalico School District Cocalico will launch STEM workshops that will provide career connections curriculum, high-quality hand tools, and collaborative workbenches for HS students with special needs.

Grant Questions?

Find answers to your questions about our grants process, eligibility, and application guidelines in our Grants FAQ document.

Frequently Asked Questions

2026 Lancaster STEM Grant Recipients

Out of School Project Title: Description
Edible Classroom The Edible Classroom will expand summer programming at Columbia SD and SDoL for elementary students while incorporating paid internships who are high school FFA students/mentors from both districts.
Intermediate Unit 13 The IU13 is launching “STEM in Action: Real-World Experiences for Online Learners”. This program addresses STEM learning gaps by engaging virtual learning students from 11 districts with twelve in-person workshops at various community sites.
Elizabethtown Child Care Center ECCC will launch the Discovery STEM Club; serving children ages 3–10 during weekday after-school hours and early evening. Programming will include STEM labs such as “Tiny Engineers,” “Nature Detectives,” and “Coding Through Play.”
   
   
DEI Project Title: Description
Lancaster Recreation Commission Funding will launch the “STEM in Motion” initiative that will deploy a co-branded, solar-powered cargo e-trike to deliver hands-on, inclusive STEM learning directly into neighborhoods, parks and public spaces.
Common Wheel Funding will launch new tiered programming that will unite the Earn a Bike program with the student led Youth Bike Workshops. A STEM professional has adapted their curriculum and the bike workshop locations offer geographic accessibility.
Cocalico School District Cocalico will launch STEM workshops that will provide career connections curriculum, high-quality hand tools, and collaborative workbenches for HS students with special needs.
   
   
STEM EXPLORE Project Title: Description
Bright Side Opportunities Center Bright Side is launching “SisMantle Tech”. It will operate in collaboration with a new partner Playmakers Summer Lab: Girls Leading Tech & Business, a six-week summer workforce and entrepreneurship initiative serving high school girls. SisMantle Tech moves beyond traditional coding camps by integrating entrepreneurship, AI literacy, and real client engagement into STEM learning.
Lancaster Science Factory The Pittsburgh Children’s Museum (PCM) will customize their “How People Make Things” travelling exhibit for permanent installation at the Lancaster Science Factory. Working with local manufacturers in Lancaster County and designers at PCM they will create a 1,000 sq ft exhibit area that teaches students in pre-k through 8th grade and their families about manufacturing careers in our community through interactive experiences.
   
   
K-12 PBL Project Title: Description
Junior Achievement JA has intentionally integrated STEM into two of its most popular programs: JA BizTown for 5th–6th grade students and JA STEM Summit for 9th–10th grade students. These programs allow students to explore how STEM careers align with their individual talents, interests, and strengths. Expanding at no cost into districts.
Robotic WorX Robotic WorX (RWI) will partner with MANTEC, Millersville University, Precision Cobotics (PCI), Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology , and 5 to 8 Lancaster County high schools to launch a new program called “Autonomous Mobile Robot” (AMR) Enablement Program that will serve local manufacturers while expanding student exposure to advanced automation careers.