Get involved in this exciting opportunity! Complete a short survey by Wed., July 8, and plan to attend an informational meeting on Thurs., July 9.

The STEM Pathways Cooperative and the STEM Education Funders Group invites you to learn about an exciting opportunity that has recently arisen for increasing the access to and quality of STEM programs for all children and youth across the City of Chicago.

The national STEM Funders (SFN) Network, comprised of more than 20 national STEM funders, has created a framework for cities to become “STEM Ecosystems,” where cross-sector collaboration leads to a coordinated, high quality,  and inclusive STEM environment. The framework was piloted in Nashville in 2011; and every year since, more cities such as Austin, Denver, and Boston have become part of this ever-growing network of STEM leaders. Read more about STEM Ecosystems here.

Chicago is poised to become chosen as a STEM Ecosystem city in 2015, as various sectors including museums, higher education, Chicago Public Schools, STEM service providers, funders, and corporations have already shown a great deal of interest in moving this initiative forward. Several weeks ago, SFN issued a request for proposals to create STEM Ecosystems in additional cities using its evidence-based framework. The most competitive cities need to show support from different sectors, including funders.

Proposals to SFN are due on Fri., July 31 so we need to move quickly!

We invite you to learn more about this opportunity and how funders can support the effort. The informational meeting is for funders only, and will take place Thurs., July 9 from 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm at The Brinson Foundation, 737 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 2030 in Chicago (enter around the corner at 151 E. Chicago Ave.).  You can also join by phone; the dial-in number is 712-775-7031, the meeting ID is 175-423-370. RSVP to Donna Kirkpatrick at dkirkpatrick@ikriegassoc.com. If you cannot attend but want to become involved, email Stephanie Levi at slevi@projectexploration.org.

A group of self-identified colleagues is currently organizing working on SFN’s RFQ. If you are interested in participating in the STEM Learning Ecosystem RFQ, please email Stephanie Levi directly to indicate your interest.

In order to be able to effectively respond to SFN’s RFQ, it is extremely important to understand our ecosystem members, their “enlightened self-interest,” their resources and how they envision their role in this work. Toward that end, the planning group has drafted a survey to help gather that information in preparation for the RFQ, and for our own understanding of our landscape.  Please complete the Chicago STEM Pathways Cooperative assets pre-survey at the link below yourself and forward to your STEM grantees requesting that they complete it as well.  Please also help disseminate this pre-survey to others who should be counted in the survey of Chicago’s STEM Learning Ecosystem.  Please complete the survey by July 8: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1bRFPYk3q1HH3VrfBxfy3l381ZfDZL4xZ02ZOUWQE7W4/viewform?usp=send_form

The Albert Pick, Jr. Fund has already committed to this important project. If you are a STEM funder, we urge you to learn about this incredible opportunity that will accelerate the creation of a comprehensive and coordinated STEM learning system throughout the city. Feel free to contact us for more information.

— Lauren Krieg, Albert Pick Jr., Fund, lauren@ikriegassoc.com, 312-236-1192
Christy Uchida, The Brinson Foundation, christy.uchida@brinsonfoundation.org, 312-799-4506