LANL Foundation Awards Over $100,000 in STEAM Grants Across Northern New Mexico

The LANL Foundation awarded more than $100,000 in one-year STEM Framework Grants to 16 schools and community organizations across Northern New Mexico, drawing on funding from the National Nuclear Security Administration to strengthen what the lab describes as a regional STEM career pipeline.

The grants, announced March 17, were made in partnership with Los Alamos National Laboratory's Community Partnerships Office and the Northern New Mexico STEAM Coalition, a coalition formed last year to align schools, districts, colleges, out-of-school programs and community organizations around a shared framework for science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics education. The foundation describes itself as the largest in New Mexico solely focused on education.

"At Los Alamos National Laboratory, our Community Partnerships Office recognizes the importance of investing in learning and human potential," said CPO Director Kathy Keith. "These grants will enrich the student-experience in the seven counties surrounding the Laboratory, which are Los Alamos, Mora, Rio Arriba, Sandoval, San Miguel, Santa Fe and Taos."

Nearly $58,000 of the total supported STEAM programs in Taos-area communities alone. In Taos County, Twirl, A Play & Discovery Space, and STEMarts Lab each received $10,000. Twirl, the nonprofit play and learning space founded in 2007 whose early childhood programs are led by Amber Vasquez, will use its grant to fund PlayLabz, an in-class program reaching all second- and third-grade students in Taos Municipal Schools alongside family engagement activities. STEMarts Lab's $10,000 will support summer and school-year programming in space science, artificial intelligence and art-based technology exploration, including internships and public art projects.

Other named recipients include Arroyos del Norte Elementary School, which received $6,500 to co-create a STEAM playground installation with NM Tech students designed to encourage inquiry during both play and structured activities. Cuba Independent School District received $10,000 to equip classrooms for hands-on STEAM instruction and after-school programming through a new Middle School STEAM Lab Room. The Embudo Valley Tutoring Association in Dixon received $10,000 to run a four-day-per-week after-school program blending academics, cultural learning and creative exploration. The Picuris Pueblo Education Department was also listed as a recipient for a project titled "STEAM for Picuris Pueblo Youth," though the specific grant amount was not disclosed in available materials.

The foundation noted that all 16 grantees shared insights intended to shape the regional STEAM Framework "to serve students and educators for years to come." The full list of recipients beyond those named has not been publicly detailed in materials released so far.