Welcome Teachers!

UCOR is now accepting applications for our 2025 STEM Education financial support. We are proud to support STEM education in East Tennessee schools for the 14th year. Our program is open to K-12 school teachers and schools in nine counties for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) projects.

Awards are available for both traditional STEM classes, as well as for STEM-enhancing projects in all areas (English, social studies, music, etc.). In 2024, UCOR awarded 41 STEM  Education Mini-Grants that funded projects in 29 regional schools for a total of $45,000. See the full list of 2024 mini-grants recipients.

Who can apply?

Program funds will go to K-12 teachers and schools in Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Knox, Loudon, Morgan, Roane, Scott, and Union counties. All applications should focus on STEM-related activities.

More than one teacher from a school may submit an application, but the school principal must approve each one. Funding levels are:

  • Single classroom: $750
  • Multiple classrooms: $1,000
  • Entire school: $1,500

How to apply

Eligible K-12 teachers should complete the online application. The deadline for submission is midnight on Friday, March 14, 2025. Proposals received after the deadline will not be considered.

Application instructions:

  • Complete all areas of the PDF application.
  • Do not write your name or your school’s name in the body of the project title, project summary, or goals/objectives sections on page two of the form. Identifying information should only appear where the application specifically requests it.
  • Submit the application no later than midnight on March 14, 2025.

Evaluation

Applications are judged on the following criteria:

  1. Project summary: description of the project and expected results.
  2. Learning outcomes: the top three learning objectives/curriculum concepts.

Grant winners will be notified in April.

Graphic: UCOR mini-grants logo

Questions?

For more information about UCOR’s Education Mini-Grants Program, contact Shannon Potter via UCORMiniGrants@orcc.doe.gov.