On June 2, 2025, the General Atomics Sciences Education Foundation announced awards of $58,000 in funding to 9 organizations and programs to improve K-12 STEM education. 

1. $10,000 to LabRats San Diego for STEM Equipment for their STEM Discovery Center
Funding will be used to purchase STEM equipment that increases their ability to provide quality engineering classes; the equipment will be used over multiple years with benefit to thousands of K-8 students through San Diego County. The 2 chomp cutters will be used in classes at their STEM Discovery Center where they offer classes 5 days per week including 2 on Saturday and through their Mobile STEM Labs. The 2 3D printers will be primarily utilized in STEM Discovery center classes. The requested 15 computers and 15 robotics kits will be used for labs. This STEM Lab equipment will be provided through the permanent STEM Discovery Center, located in Carlsbad, California and also through the Mobile STEM lab education we provide throughout San Diego County. They have responded to the San Diego community at large to most quickly provide quality hands-on activities, to a broad diverse population, including the underserved, those in need of scholarship funding and ESL. They have partnered with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Encinitas and Oceanside, The San Diego Botanical Gardens, The San Marcos Unified School District, the San Diego Unified School District, Level Up San Diego, The San Diego Foundation, The San Marcos Promise Keiller Learning Academy, Au Nur Learning Academy, Ocean Knoll Elementary, Montessori School Encinitas, Pacific Ridge School, Maranatha Christian School, JCS Encinitas, Inspire, Encinitas Rotary, and BrainSTEMtv.

2. $5,000 to Ocean Discovery Institute for their K-12 In-School Program
Funding will support the 2025-2026 K-12 In-School Program that engaged 6,035 students in 2023-24 with over 49,000 hours of instruction. This 100% tuition-free program is offered at all 14 public schools (elementary, middle, high) in the Hoover High School Cluster. Although the curriculum is specific to each grade level and based in the relevant Next Generation Science Standards, students in all grades receive three interrelated program components: (1) A classroom-based lesson with Ocean Discovery instructors; (2) A field visit to the coast where students use scientific tools, observe, and gather data; (3) A hands-on science activity at the Living Lab where students also engage with a science professional who shares their educational and career pathway.  In City Heights, 91% of K-12 students are eligible for free or reduced school meal programs and 43% live below the federal poverty line; the population exhibits significant ethnic diversity. Since 1999 they have provided learning experiences for young people traditionally excluded from science due to race, income status, and educational opportunity with the goal that they will join high-paying fields, break generational poverty, and change the future of science. They use ocean science to inspire, focusing their efforts in the City Heights neighborhood of San Diego, a low-income, racially diverse community where young people lack hands-on science education, exposure to careers in STEM fields, and the support to pursue those pathways.

3. $2,500 to Society of Women Engineers, San Diego for their Girls in STEM Inspiration Day
The funding will be used to support the Girls in STEM Inspiration Day event. Funding will contribute significantly to the purchase of supplies for engaging hands-on activities, swag, or snacks. The event is the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) San Diego’s largest outreach initiative, drawing approximately 150 students from grades 6 through 12. This annual event aims to inspire and empower young girls to pursue careers in STEM through hands-on activities (such as materials for engineering challenges such as building circuits or race cars), speed mentoring, and a panel discussion featuring diverse STEM professionals. Attendees are middle and high school students from various San Diego communities, ensuring a broad demographic reach.

 

4. $5,000 to San Diego Natural History Museum for their Museum Access Fund
Funds will support their Museum Access Fund, their education program serving Title I schools in San Diego County to be expended within one calendar year. Support will provide nearly 300 students with access to their suite of programs at no cost to them, their families, or their schools. The Museum Access Fund aims to provide valuable field trip experiences, access to virtual learning resources, use of plant and animal specimens from our Nature to You Loan Library, and outdoor engagement activities to students throughout San Diego—free of charge. The Museum continues to collaborate with the San Diego County Office of Education, various schools, youth groups, and Title I schools across the County. They also work closely with the largest school district in our region, the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD). SDUSD has an extremely diverse student population, representing more than 15 ethnic groups. More specifically, San Diego Unified School District’s demographic breakdown is as follows: 46.5% Hispanic, 23.4% White, 10.2% African American, 5.4% Filipino, 4.9% Indo-Chinese, 3.3% Asian, 0.3% Native American, 0.6% Pacific Islander, and 5.4% Multi Racial/Ethn. Approximately 60% of students are eligible for the free or reduced meals program, and 27% are English learners.

5. $2,500 to Higher Orbits for their Space-Inspired STEM Program
Funding will support their Ensuring Access to STEM Education (EASE) Space Coalition which supports students in STEM across the country through the wonder of spaceflight. This sponsorship will help bring space inspired STEM to students in 12-16 communities this year. EASE ensures all students, especially those in underrepresented communities, have access to exciting careers in STEM and space. A Coalition Partner Membership will fund 20 full scholarships.  For Launch! (GFL!), their flagship STEM program, is a multi-day STEM event that uses space exploration to inspire students. The final Go For Launch! learning activity requires each team to create and design a space experiment that could potentially be tested on the International Space Station. Students work in small groups to prepare and present their projects to a judging panel of Aerospace and STEM industry experts, gaining valuable feedback and experience.  Students gain experience in Leadership, Project Management, Critical Analysis, Team Building, Risk Management, Perseverance, Rapid Prototyping, Collaboration, Negotiation, Conflict Management, and Communication.

6. $10,500 to Deer Canyon Parent Staff Organization to establish a robotics program
The total, one-time funding request from the Deer Canyon Parent Staff Organization (DCPSO) will establish a hands-on robotics STEM program for TK through 5th grade at Deer Canyon Elementary. As a nonprofit dedicated to enriching student education, DCPSO plays a critical role in funding essential programs that would otherwise be unavailable due to budget constraints.  Funding will cover robotics and drone kits, educator guides, and essential accessories to ensure the program’s longevity. The primary investment includes Sphero Indi, BOLT+, and Robolink CoDrone Mini kits. Each kit has been carefully selected to align with the developmental needs of students, TK to 5th grade. This funding invests in the future of over 375 students of the Poway community in the 2025/26 school year and has the potential to make a lasting impact, benefiting more than 700 students across multiple grade levels over the next five years as the program continues implementation. Deer Canyon Elementary serves a diverse student body, with 71% identifying as minority. The school enrolls 8% economically disadvantaged students. 84% of students scored at or above the proficient level for math, and 85% scored at or above that level for reading. In 2020, PUSD received $1,500 less per student than San Diego Unified.  DCPSO fully funds STEM, Arts, other critical initiatives, and fully funds the associated teacher salaries.

7. $5,000 to San Diego Fleet Week Foundation for Student STEM Days transportation
Funding will support Fleet Week San Diego’s “Student Stem Days 2025” which will be held 5-7 Nov 2025. Fleet Week intends to use these funds to help offset the increased cost of transportation (buses) for students, as well as increased costs associated with the administration and management of the program. During Student STEM Days, San Diego’s High-Tech Companies, Military Technical Commands, and Science & Technology Organizations participate with interactive displays and exhibits that include among others, Robotics, Drones, Virtual & Augmented Reality, Medical, Biotech, Meteorology & Oceanography, all designed to spur the interest of today’s students in the real world use of STEM. Free busing was primarily directed toward schools located in San Diego’s underserved communities so that they would be able to take advantage of this educational opportunity. This proved to be highly successful and over the five years of the program, participation by schools located in underserved communities has increased from six in 2018 to thirteen in 2024. In 2024, 4,214 students from 54 schools were bused to Student STEM Days.

8. $7,500 to STEAM Ahead Foundation for Drone Challenge Camps
Funding will support their Drone Challenge Program and will be able to deliver 2 additional Drone Challenge Camps that will take place at Montgomery Elementary and Southwest Middle School. This hands-on program empowers high school students to explore engineering, including 3D printing, mechanical design, electronics, and programming. Working in teams, students receive a standardized kit, including essential electronics, basic 3D files, and starter code to build, test, and refine their own quadcopter. Through problem-solving, collaboration, and iterative design, participants gain valuable STEM skills while bringing their aerial innovations to life.  STEAM Ahead Foundation (SAF) empowers underserved and underrepresented students in South San Diego to realize their full potential through equitable access to transformative Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) education and career opportunities, fostering innovation, inclusivity, and lifelong success in a rapidly evolving world. Since inception, SAF has served over 40 schools and over 1000 students. SAF serves students in grades 3 through 12 who attend schools within the Sweetwater Union High School District and Chula Vista Elementary School District. All schools served are Title 1.

9. $10,000 to San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum for their Access for All STEM program
Funding will provide free and low-cost STEM education through their Access for All STEM Scholarships. The program enables the Museum to offer STEM enrichment programs, Onsite Field Trips, and the Mobile Children’s Museum at no cost to students who will benefit the most. SDCDM is the only hands-on, educational children's museum in North San Diego County, delivering enriching educational opportunities in STREAM (science, technology, reading, engineering, arts, and math), purposeful play, and social-emotional learning to children ages 0-10. Funding will support 600 San Diego County children from geographically under-resourced, economically disadvantaged, and marginalized communities. SDCDM is located in the heart of the Central Neighborhood of Escondido, an area with significant promise and need. 73% of children in the local elementary school district are socioeconomically disadvantaged, 31% are English language learners.