Best STEM Education Grants in South Carolina

Public, private, and charter schools adding a new PLTW Biomedical Science program can receive up to US $14,000 to cover participation and teacher training costs, including in South Carolina. Project Lead The Way provides three-year support for schools in any U.S. state or territory that commit to offering PLTW Biomedical Science courses through 2028-2029.

Project Lead The Way (PLTW)

Our Mission: Empower Students to Thrive in an Evolving World

Our Philosophy for Education: We believe all students – beginning at a young age – need access to real-world, applied learning experiences that empower them to gain the skills they need to thrive in college, career, and beyond.

We believe teachers play an immeasurable role in empowering students, and our programs provide teachers with the support and resources they need to devote more time to inspiring students.

PLTW Engineering - New Program In Partnership With Ardagh Group

Ardagh Group has partnered with PLTW to support education in its local communities where Ardagh employees live and work. This partnership recognizes the critical role education, and access to education, plays in ensuring equal opportunities and in building successful, vibrant communities. It is expected that over the next 10 years, Ardagh sponsored education programs will benefit more than 500,000 PreK-12 students as well as delivering best-in-class teacher training to more than 5,000 teachers across 2,000 schools in Ardagh's U.S. communities.

Ardagh is a global supplier of sustainable packaging solutions with 16,000+ employees worldwide, and proud local employer.

Program Requirements

The purpose of this grant is to assist the grantee's implementation of the PLTW Engineering program. Grantee must offer the PLTW Engineering program for three academic years. Grantee must offer at least one PLTW Engineering course in the 2027-2028 academic year and must offer one additional course in the 2028-2029 academic year (two different courses in two years). Grantee may implement any PLTW Engineering courses of their choosing. Grantee must complete three years of grant reporting.

Middle schools and other eligible public, private, and charter schools in South Carolina can receive US $9,100 in in-kind support to launch the PLTW Gateway STEM program for the first time. Grants from Project Lead The Way help cover PLTW Gateway participation fees and up to six core training registrations for teachers.

Nonprofit charities running STEM and STEAM education, humanitarian, or community programs in South Carolina may be eligible for Roche Corporate Donations and Philanthropy support. Roche prioritizes accredited charities with innovative, high-quality projects that promote sustainable development and can actively involve Roche expertise, logistics, and employees in educational and social activities.

Public charities and government units in South Carolina working on STEM and broader education initiatives can seek funding for programs that strengthen learning and community quality of life. Vulcan Materials Company Foundation supports K–12 and higher education, especially math, science, and engineering, as well as environmental stewardship and projects involving active Vulcan employee engagement in its operating communities.

Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations in South Carolina offering STEM and related education programs can apply for grants of US $1,000 - US $15,000 to support specific projects. With a mission to strengthen communities, Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation funds initiatives in education, environmental stewardship, human needs, and community vitality within its South Carolina service areas.

Public school districts and schools in South Carolina can seek Innovation Grant funding for pilot initiatives that raise student achievement, close gaps, and prepare students for college, career, military, and civic life. South Carolina Department of Education supports projects in areas like STEM/STEAM, literacy, applied learning, workforce development, character development, and civics that are evidence-based, scalable, and externally evaluated.

The Carteret County Association of Home Builders Murdoch Scholarship offers financial assistance to graduating seniors and graduates from Carteret County high schools. Eligible students must be enrolled full-time in accredited technical schools or universities pursuing degrees in construction-related fields. Priority is given to those with a minimum GPA of 2.5 and demonstrated financial need. Applications open on December 16, 2025, and close on March 3, 2026, making it essential for interested candidates to prepare their submissions accordingly.

Scholarships

We partner with donors to administer scholarships for students across the state. Most NCCF scholarships open for applications on Dec. 16, 2025, and close on March 3, 2026.

Undergraduates, graduates, medical and professional school students and adult re-entry students who are attending community colleges, four-year universities, career/technical schools, teaching credential programs and graduate, medical or professional schools in the United States are eligible for scholarships offered at NCCF.

Each scholarship has specific eligibility requirements defined by the donor when the scholarship was established. Be sure to read the requirements of each scholarship carefully as directed through the universal application and address those elements as needed in your application.

Baronowski Family STEM Scholarship

Female graduates of a Brunswick County, NC, high school who plan to attend or currently attend a qualified institution of higher learning, including a college, university or community college, to pursue a degree in one of the STEM disciplines (Science, Engineering, Technology, or Math).

What We Do

At the North Carolina Community Foundation, we bring together generous people and connect them to causes and organizations they care about.

Our mission is to inspire North Carolinians to make lasting and meaningful contributions to their communities.

Our Philanthropic Network

We believe in the power of permanent philanthropy to strengthen our communities and people. By stewarding and growing donors’ gifts, our philanthropic network makes a powerful impact through robust grants and scholarships programs.

Wayne H. Schriever Math and Science Scholarship Endowment

Criteria

Graduating seniors from a Carteret County public or private high school who are pursuing higher education at a four-year college or university in the fields of math or science.

In just one application, our Common Scholarship Application provides students access to more than 150 scholarship opportunities with awards ranging from $1,000 to more than $5,000.

In 2025, San Diego Foundation awarded a record-breaking $5.5 million in scholarships to nearly 1,400 students.

Wen Bo Wang Scholarship

Be graduating high school seniors and plan to enroll full-time at an accredited four-year university in the United States in fall.

The San Diego Foundation

We enable donors and nonprofit partners to tackle the most critical needs facing San Diegans.

For 50 years, donors, nonprofits, communities, government and civic leaders have trusted San Diego Foundation to transform lives and have partnered with us for lasting change that moves our region forward.

As San Diego’s largest regional community foundation, it’s our job to understand the pulse of our local communities better than anyone, enabling donors and nonprofit partners to tackle the most critical needs facing San Diegans.

Community Scholarship Program

Since 1997, the Community Scholarship Program has awarded $59.5 million to more than 15,400 students, making our program the largest non-university scholarship provider in San Diego County. By offering financial assistance, the program helps students dedicate more time to their studies, stay enrolled and complete their degrees.

The SD2 Scholarship

The SD2 Scholarship applicants should:

• Be graduating high school seniors or current community college students
• Plan to enroll or transfer to an accredited four-year university in the US in fall
• Have a cumulative unweighted GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale (with rare exceptions for extenuating circumstances)
• Plan to major in science, technology, engineering or mathematics
• Demonstrate an interest in the advancement of historically underrepresented populations in the sciences and related fields
• Students from underserved and underrepresented backgrounds are highly encouraged to apply
• Have a demonstrated financial need
• Open to those applicants above with a focus on reducing historical educational disparities for those furthest from opportunity

About Us

We enable donors and nonprofit partners to tackle the most critical needs facing San Diegans.

Mission & Values

Our vision is for just, equitable and resilient communities.

Our mission is to inspire enduring philanthropy and enable community solutions to improve the quality of life in our region.

We value all people, all partners and our region.

Common Scholarship Application

Achieve your Higher Education Dreams

In just one application, our Common Scholarship Application provides students access to more than 150 scholarship opportunities with awards ranging from $1,000 to more than $5,000.

In 2025, San Diego Foundation awarded a record-breaking $5.5 million in scholarships to nearly 1,400 students.

The Pittsburgh Foundation provides scholarship opportunities for students to pursue their educational goals. Scholarships are available for graduating high school seniors, undergraduates, graduate, medical and professional school students who are attending community colleges, four–year universities, graduate schools, and career/technical schools.

Pittsburgh ERG Scholarship Fund

The Pittsburgh ERG Scholarship formed by employees of Microsoft delivers on the mission of Microsoft’s local employee resource group to support diversity and inclusion. This scholarship enables high school students with disabilities and/or financial needs to go to college and pursue a career in technology. In addition, we hope to contribute to increasing the pool of people living with a disability enrolling in higher education and, in the long term, decrease the unemployment bias for this demographic. This scholarship will be awarded to promising high school seniors living in the city of Pittsburgh who plan to attend a vocational or academic college and have a financial need. The amount of this multi-year renewable scholarship is $12,000 payable over four years ($3,000 per year). (Immediate family members of Microsoft employees are not eligible for this scholarship.)

• Average Award: $12,000 over 4 years.
• Award Type: Multi-Year (up to 4 years). Recipients must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 and enrollment in the stated major.

The Pittsburgh Foundation provides scholarship opportunities for students to pursue their educational goals. Scholarships are available for graduating high school seniors, undergraduates, graduate, medical and professional school students who are attending community colleges, four–year universities, graduate schools, and career/technical schools.

Kennametal Scholarship Fund

The Kennametal Scholarship Fund was created at The Pittsburgh Foundation to support students in Southwestern Pennsylvania with financial need pursuing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) related degrees. The purpose of the scholarship is to broaden the awareness of opportunities in STEM by supporting students who have been disproportionately affected by systemic barriers to educational achievement.

• Average Award: Varies
• Award Type: Multi-Year (up to 4 years).

Better World Scholarship Fund

The scholarship encourages women to acquire a degree in a science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) field. The donor’s bachelor’s degree is in mathematics, followed 15 years later with a master’s degree in business administration. Her degree in mathematics provided opportunities for jobs in software development and application, medical research, technical documentation, organizational education and training, scientific research, and business. Her career was challenging, dynamic, encouraged creativity, never boring, offered schedule flexibility that allowed her to parent her four children, provided career choice independence, and was lucrative. Go STEM Girls!

Award Amount:

• Minimum $1,000

Community Foundation of the North State

The Community Foundation builds trust through relationship, integrity, and by providing safe places for donors to give their resources.

We are a nonprofit, public charity serving the people of Shasta, Siskiyou and Tehama counties, with a mission to impact the region through the power of giving.

Scholarships

The Community Foundation of the North State manages many scholarship funds that are awarded to graduating high school seniors as well as students already in an undergraduate program. Some scholarships were started by families or individuals; others by businesses or organizations. All scholarships share one important focus: helping young people reach their educational goals.

REU Powering Redding’s Future Scholarship Fund

Redding Electric Utility (REU) is proud to offer students in the Redding community awards from the REU Powering Redding’s Future Scholarship, Program. The purpose of REU’s Program is to identify and support local students dreaming and planning to attend community college, a 4-year college/university, or technical school. The primary goals of REU’s Powering Redding’s Future program is to encourage Redding’s youth to consider a college/university or technical school education that may lead to career opportunities in the electric utility industry, preferably with REU. This program will award up to $50,000 in scholarships for local students each year.

All REU scholarships are offered to Redding residents.

EPSCoR RII Research Fellows Limited Competition

EPSCoR RII: EPSCoR Research Fellows directly aligns with the NSF EPSCoR strategic goal of establishing sustainable Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) professional development pathways that advance workforce development and effects engagement in STEM at national and global levels. EPSCoR RII: EPSCoR Research Fellows provides awards to build research capacity in institutions and transform the career trajectories of investigators and further develop their individual research potential through collaborations with investigators from the nation's premier private, governmental, or academic research institutions and/or centers. The fellowship provides opportunities to establish strong collaborations through extended or periodic collaborative visits to a selected host site. Through collaborative research activities with the host site, Fellows will be able to learn new techniques, develop new collaborations, advance existing partnerships, benefit from access to unique equipment and facilities, and/or shift their research toward potentially transformative new directions. The experiences gained through the fellowships are intended to have lasting impacts that will enhance the Fellows' research trajectories well beyond the award period. The benefits to the Fellows are also expected to improve the research capacity of their institutions and jurisdictions more broadly.

Scholarships support aspiring college students who hold the promise of tomorrow’s progress.

Together, our competitive grants and scholarships help our region rise thanks to the vision and generosity of our donors.

The Reuter Scholarship Fund

• Interested in pursuing a career in engineering, science or technology
• Based on good moral character and student’s overall performance as to academic ability and standing, extracurricular activities, success in dealing with life’s challenges in individual circumstances and financial need

This FOA is intended for proposals related to basic and applied research in the STEM categories, and not related to the development of a specific system or hardware procurement.The proposal submission process has two stages:I. Applicants are encouraged to submit a white paper first to Grants@NPS.edu, ; andII. Applicants must submit a full proposal through Grants.gov (do not submit white papers through Grants.gov, only full proposals)Applicants are encouraged to submit a White Paper in advance of a Full Proposal to minimize the labor and other costs associated with the production of detailed full proposals that have little chance of being selected for funding. Based on an assessment of the white papers, the responsible Research Program Officer will provide informal feedback notification to the prospective awardees to encourage or discourage submission proposals. The Research Program Officer may also, on occasion, provide feedback encouraging re-work to strengthen a proposal. White Papers may be submitted at any time during the open period of this FOA. A separate White Paper is required for each research proposal.

About Legacy Foundation

Legacy Foundation is the community foundation for Lake County, Indiana. We connect people, knowledge, and funding to build an equitable, accessible, and inclusive Lake County, now and for generations to come.

Legacy Foundation is supported by a broad base of individuals, families, and businesses connected by the desire to improve Lake County, Indiana. With a growing portfolio of over 300 funds and approximately $80 million in assets, Legacy Foundation is a trusted source for philanthropic giving in the region.

For over 30 years, Legacy Foundation has been empowering people, providing strategic leadership, and impactful philanthropic support to create an equitable Lake County where all people thrive.

Mission Statement

Transforming Lake County by providing strategic leadership and impactful philanthropic support to ensure equitable opportunity for all communities that we serve.

Vision Statement

Create an equitable Lake County where all people thrive.

Milton and Ruby McClendon Scholarship

Use the chart below to see which scholarships are the best fit for you! You must complete the Legacy Universal Application to apply.

Scholarship eligibility requires students to attend an accredited 2 or 4 year public or private institution of higher learning. All scholarships are for full-time students, unless otherwise noted. Renewable awards are for 4 years of undergraduate study and cannot be used for post graduate coursework; all awards are paid directly to the school or may be used for book reimbursement.

Students pursuing college majors in industrial arts, technology, construction, manufacturing, or related STEM fields who have demonstrated a strong work ethic may be eligible for this scholarship, with priority for Kansas and Midwest residents. The Greater Kansas City Community Foundation offers this support to low- to modest-income students, which may benefit South Carolina residents studying in the region.

Community-based or educational organizations supporting STEM / STEAM education in South Carolina can access funding through the Community Foundation of North Central Washington’s W.R. “Bill” Asplund Scholarship, which aids Wenatchee and Westside High School graduates pursuing STEM majors. Programs serving first-generation, disadvantaged, or foster youth interested in science or environmental studies may be especially aligned.

American Indian and Alaska Native undergraduate and graduate students pursuing STEM, environment, energy, or cultural sustainability degrees in the U.S., including South Carolina, can receive $5,000 need-based scholarships for full-time study. Native Forward Scholars Fund requires a 3.0 GPA and documented Tribal affiliation, including enrolled citizens and eligible descendants of federally or state-recognized Tribes.

Graduating seniors from public high schools in Sumter County, South Carolina pursuing STEM-related majors at Clemson University or the University of South Carolina can receive full tuition plus on-campus housing and a meal plan. Focused on STEM / STEAM education, Central Carolina Community Foundation invites eligible students with financial need to apply for the renewable Harmon Scholarship.

South Carolina Indigenous STEM and trade students can access funding through the American Indian Science and Engineering Society for the Indian Motorcycle + Polaris Trade Scholarship. This US $2,000 award supports full-time AISES student members in accredited certificate or vocational programs, including fields like welding, clean energy, automotive or diesel technology, IT, construction, and related areas.

Project Lead the Way (PLTW) provides innovative, hands-on learning experiences for students in PreK-5, fostering confidence and career readiness. With support from 3M, PLTW Launch aims to enhance STEM education by increasing exposure, supporting experiential learning, and improving teaching quality. This partnership ensures that students and teachers have the necessary tools and resources to thrive in a rapidly evolving world, empowering the next generation of leaders in science and technology.