Green Labs Grant

Overview

Apply for the Exelon Foundation Green Lab Grant

The Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago is proud to partner with the Exelon Foundation in championing science learning for high school students and in encouraging new thinking about our environment.

We are inviting out-of-school time (OST) providers to develop a “STEM lab of the future” aimed at tackling solutions to the environmental crisis, with a minds-on approach and hands-on science skills. Recipients of the Exelon Foundation Green Lab Grant will be provided with funding to create or modernize new or existing spaces with interactive activities grounded in science, technology, math and/or engineering.

Our Goals

* Provide high school-aged youth from traditionally under-resourced areas with access to labs with new/updated equipment.
* Encourage a deeper understanding of how technology can be leveraged to promote environmental sustainability.
* Provide opportunities to promote youth problem-solving and creativity using new technologies.
* Foster career exposure and opportunities for students in each of the Exelon Foundation’s service areas.

The Environment: Your Focus. Our Future

Climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation, and other environmental issues are destabilizing and challenging the life-giving systems of planet Earth. The environmental crisis multiplies the threats to humanity, amplifying and worsening existing social vulnerabilities and injustices.

At the same time, the urgency of these environmental issues creates a remarkable opportunity to develop new technologies that move us toward solutions. Our sustainable future will also require inventors, technicians and scientists with the know-how to build, use and service this technology. Success in these careers will begin with the skills developed today.

With this in mind, your Green Lab should develop STEM skills with a focus on environmental sustainability and technology, along with strategies and careers in these fields. Your Green Lab can study a specific topic, such as Energy, Water + Food, Waste, and Wild Spaces. You can also explore a combination of topics, including these or other themes related to our planet’s environmental systems.

Your proposed program must also reflect themes of environmental equity and justice, such as racial and ethnic equity, economic equity, and/or the inclusion of indigenous people’s practices.

Eligibility

_You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website._

* Who should apply for the Exelon Foundation Green Lab grant?
* We’re looking for schools, charter schools and other nonprofit organizations with after-school programs that primarily serve high school students. They should also meet the following criteria:
* Focusing on the environment and issues related to the climate emergency
* Intending to build, expand or enhance a space dedicated to hands-on science, technology, engineering or math (STEM)
* Primarily serving Title I-eligible schools or populations meeting similar criteria
* Primarily functioning during out-of-school time
* Exelon customer operating in one of these areas:
* Delaware
* District of Columbia
* Pennsylvania
* New Jersey
* Maryland
* Illinois