Opportunity Overview
The Arkansas STEM Coalition is accepting applications for the 2026–27 Commitment to Excellence in STEM Grant, Competition #17. The program uses Arkansas Committed to Education license-plate funds to support hands-on STEM learning and help bridge the technology divide in Arkansas public schools serving kindergarten through sixth grade.
Funding
The controlling RFA states that $112,145.20 is available for the 2026–27 cycle. There is no minimum request. The maximum request is $10,000 per eligible school, including professional development. Up to 15% of a school’s total request may support eligible professional development, subject to the RFA’s documentation rules.
Eligibility
Eligible applicants are Arkansas public schools that teach at least one grade from kindergarten through sixth grade, public school districts applying on behalf of an eligible school, and approved university STEM Centers applying on behalf of an eligible school. Only one application per school is accepted. Entities with unresolved prior-year unspent funds or outstanding reports are not eligible until those issues are cleared.
Allowable Uses
Funding may support STEM materials and equipment that directly affect student learning, including lab equipment, science kits, technology equipment or software, mathematics manipulatives, makerspace supplies, robotics equipment and related durable resources. Software subscriptions may be allowed when needed for curriculum access. The RFA excludes field trips, competition entry fees, most intangible items, items exclusively serving students outside K–6, non-PD salaries or consulting fees, and indirect costs.
Deadline and Submission
Applications are due September 18, 2026 by 5:00 PM. The controlling RFA does not state a time zone, so Atlas does not infer one. Electronic submission is required to the grant address identified in the RFA. Funding notifications are scheduled for October 5, 2026.
Atlas Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 82/100. This is a useful K–6 school-equipment and instructional-capacity opportunity with clear eligibility, durable-equipment preference and a documented application package. N9+ Direct Vendor Fit: 0/100. QC Healthcare Fit: 0/100. The current RFA is broad STEM funding and does not establish a material healthcare, telehealth, remote-patient-monitoring or clinical-care use case. Atlas should not force-fit N9+ or QC Healthcare into a generic STEM proposal.
Next Steps
Eligible schools should identify a specific K–6 STEM learning need, build the required itemized budget, confirm prior-grant reporting status, and submit the application by the stated deadline. For Dr. Miltie/Atlas outreach control, no applicant-facing N9+/QC outreach is warranted unless an applicant has a genuine health-sciences or biomedical STEM model and the proposed equipment is independently verified as allowable and material to that model.
Verified sources: Arkansas STEM Coalition application page and the Coalition’s 2026–27 Competition #17 Request for Applications.