Iowa’s legislature honors the return on investment of the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council by recommitting state funds annually and so do numerous non-state investors. Businesses, foundations, philanthropic organizations, granting agencies and a variety of public and private sector donors contribute hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to programs (and programs only) aligned to their goals. Raytheon Technologies’ foundation, Benevity, for example, invested well into five figures for support of events including the STEM Summit, STEM at the Capitol and regional STEM festivals in 2023. The same is true for Mid-American Energy, Alliant Energy and Kemin Industries, each donating tens of thousands of dollars to the STEM Council this year for a variety of programs. Google’s donor arm, the Tides Foundation, entrusted a six-figure investment in Iowa STEM in 2023. Fifty total investors have collectively channeled nearly $400,000 to programs including STEM Teacher Externships, STEM at the State Fair, the STEM Teacher Award, the STEM BEST Program and more in 2023.
The additional funding significantly expands capacity for participation in these programs and, as a result, the benefits seen among Iowa youth. Here is a roster of non-state investors in STEM this year, alphabetically: Accu-Mold LLC, Alliant Energy Foundation, Inc.; Barilla America, Inc.; Bayer Fund; Benevity (Raytheon Technologies); Carroll County Conservation Foundation; Clayton County Development Group, Inc.; CNOS; Custom-Pak Design and Blowmolding; Ehrhart Griffin & Associates; Elkay; Freeport Minerals Corporation; Friends of Fontana Park; Friends of Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge; Geater Machining & Mfg. Co.; Google Community Grants Fund/Tides Foundation; HNI Charitable Foundation; Ida County Auditor’s Office; ITC Midwest, LLC; Jackson County; Jasper County Auditor; Johnson County Auditor; Kemin Industries, Inc.,; Le Claire Manufacturing Co.; Lee County Extension Service; M.A. Ford Mfg. Co. Inc.; Mahaska County Auditor; Marshall County Auditor; The Merrill Company, LLP; MidAmerican Energy Foundation; moveero, Inc.; Muscatine County Auditor; Pella Corporations & Subsidiaries; Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.; Polk County Auditor Office; Principal Life Insurance Company; RCS Millwork, LC; Rosenboom Machine & Tool, Inc.; Sac County Conservation Foundation; Siouxland Chamber of Commerce; Stanley Center for Peace and Security; State of Iowa - Department for the Blind; Washington County Auditor; Wetherell Mfg. Co., Inc.; Whiterock Conservancy; Winneshiek County Auditor; and Zoetis.