Opportunity Overview
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award for STEM Teachers (CAST) recognizes outstanding STEM teachers in North Carolina public primary and secondary schools. The current 2026 competition is open and supports teacher leadership, professional development, classroom equipment and supplies, and stronger STEM learning environments.
Funding and Deadline
Applicant-relevant value: $175,000 over five years, or $35,000 per year. BWF states that it expects to support up to six awards with annual installments.
Deadline: September 30, 2026 at 3:00 PM EDT. The RFP states that the online system shuts down automatically at the deadline and that extensions will not be granted.
Eligibility
Applicants must be currently licensed North Carolina public-school STEM teachers teaching grades K–12. They must have completed at least five years of teaching experience, including at least three years in North Carolina K–12 public schools, and must be active classroom teachers at the time of application. Middle- and high-school applicants generally must hold applicable North Carolina STEM licensure and devote at least 70 percent of their time to STEM courses. Elementary applicants must devote at least 30 percent of their time to STEM; elementary STEM specialists also must spend at least 20 percent of their time working with other teachers. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Public charter and magnet school teachers qualify. Career and Technical Education teachers may be eligible and are directed by BWF to contact the Fund before applying.
The candidate must have support from both the school principal and district superintendent. Their signed nomination letters must document the school and district environment, mentoring and leadership opportunities, and institutional support for the teacher’s development.
Allowable Funding Structure
BWF allocates each annual award across teacher salary support, classroom or laboratory equipment and supplies, and professional development. The RFP identifies a $10,000 annual salary stipend component, $10,000 for classroom or laboratory equipment and supplies, and $10,000 for professional development, travel, substitute coverage, networking, and capacity building. BWF also holds $5,000 annually for payment at the end of the five-year period if the recipient remains in a North Carolina public-school K–12 classroom.
Match / cost share: The current RFP does not state a mandatory applicant match or cost-share requirement. Indirect costs are not covered.
Required Application Materials
Applications are submitted electronically through the BWF grant application system. The online form collects applicant information, nominating-school and contact information, proposal information, applicant demographics, and budget information. Required PDF materials include:
- Candidate resume, two-page limit
- Plan of Work, nine-page limit with the required component limits
- Candidate lesson plan, with student work samples
- Principal sponsor letter of nomination on letterhead with signature
- Superintendent sponsor letter of nomination on letterhead with signature
- Documentation of nonprofit status; public schools and districts may provide a letter on school letterhead noting the nonprofit intent of the grant
The RFP requires PDF attachments using at least 12-point font and one-inch margins and directs applicants not to include unrequested supplemental materials. Applicants upload the files, validate the application, and use the system’s Submit function before the deadline.
Atlas Fit Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 91/100. This is a current, well-documented North Carolina education opportunity with a substantial five-year award, an exact deadline, clear eligibility, and explicit support for classroom equipment, professional development, and STEM leadership.
N9+ Fit Score: 30/100 conditional. The RFP can support classroom or laboratory equipment, and Career and Technical Education teachers may be eligible, so a limited applicant-led pathway could exist for a qualified health-science or biomedical STEM teacher who can demonstrate that the Nonagon N9+ device and platform is necessary educational equipment within an approved STEM plan. However, CAST is fundamentally a teacher-development and STEM-education award, not a telehealth or clinical-care funding program. Atlas should not force N9+ into a proposal without a teacher-controlled educational use case and BWF eligibility confirmation where CTE status is involved.
Dr. Miltie / QC Healthcare direct applicant fit: 0/100. The applicant is the eligible North Carolina public-school teacher with school and district sponsorship, not a commercial vendor. No direct-vendor procurement path is established by this RFP.
Submission and Contacts
Applications must be submitted through the BWF online grant application portal linked from the official CAST program page. Program contacts listed in the current RFP include Alfred Mays at amays@bwfund.org, Samantha Moore at smoore@bwfund.org, Kendi Kajogo at kkajogo@bwfund.org, and Darcy Lewandowski at dlewandowski@bwfund.org.
Controlling source: Burroughs Wellcome Fund — Career Awards for STEM Teachers.
Current RFP: Career Award for STEM Teachers Request for Proposals.
Verified September 13, 2026.