South Dakota Biotech is accepting applications for its 2026 K-12 STEM Outreach Grants, offering ten $500 awards to expand hands-on STEM learning and connect South Dakota students with STEM and bioscience career pathways.
Funding and deadline
Ten grants of $500 each are available, for a published total pool of $5,000. Applications are due September 30, 2026. The official program page and overview do not publish an exact closing clock time or time zone. Selected recipients are expected to be notified in the second week of October and publicly recognized October 27, 2026 at the South Dakota Biotech Summit. Projects run November 1, 2026 through May 31, 2027.
Who may apply
Eligible applicants include South Dakota K-12 educators at public, private, or Tribal schools; South Dakota schools, districts, and education programs; nonprofit organizations, university faculty or staff, and community organizations proposing a defined activity for South Dakota K-12 students; and South Dakota companies or industry organizations proposing a defined K-12 outreach activity or event.
Priority consideration may be given to biotechnology- or bioscience-related projects, rural, Tribal, underserved, and first-time participating schools or organizations, and projects addressing a clear participation barrier.
Allowable costs
Allowable expenses include project materials, consumables, modest equipment tied to a defined student activity, transportation, facility visits, event or competition registration, substitute-teacher costs, accessibility accommodations, shipping, rural connectivity needed for participation, and other approved direct project costs. Standalone prizes, unrestricted scholarships, general classroom or office supplies without a defined project use, regular salaries, organizational overhead, fundraising, pre-award costs, and activities without a meaningful K-12 STEM learning or career-exploration component are not supported.
Atlas analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 41/100. N9+ Fit: 5/100 conditional. QC Healthcare Fit: 0/100. Direct Dr. Miltie fit: 0/100. Human-health classroom investigations are specifically contemplated, but the $500 award and modest-equipment scope do not support a normal N9+ deployment. Atlas does not recommend forcing clinical-technology fit.
Apply and review current materials at the official South Dakota Biotech STEM Grants page.