On 901 Day, we are proud to announce an important first for 901STEM: Concord Academy has been selected as the inaugural recipient of a 901STEM Spark Grant and will serve as our pilot education partner.
The $1,000 grant will support meaningful, hands-on STEM learning for Concord students.
The 901STEM Spark Grant program helps schools, school systems, and community organizations remove practical barriers to engaging STEM experiences. Our goal is to award one $1,000 grant each month, supporting ideas that give students opportunities to build, experiment, collaborate, and discover their potential.
Concord Academy prepares students with learning differences for lifelong success. Its community embraces students’ differences, honors their individual learning styles, and creates an environment where they can learn, grow, and thrive.
That mission makes Concord Academy a natural partner for 901STEM. We believe STEM should be accessible to every learner, not only those who have traditionally seen themselves represented in these fields or who thrive in conventional learning environments. Hands-on STEM experiences can offer students new ways to explore ideas, solve problems, express creativity, and recognize their own strengths. By working with educators who understand and celebrate different ways of learning, we can help expand what meaningful STEM participation looks like.
This first award is also an opportunity to learn. As our pilot education partner, Concord Academy will help us understand how the application, funding, and reporting process works from a school’s perspective. What we learn together will help us build a program that is useful to educators, responsive to students, and capable of growing throughout Memphis and the Mid-South.
This milestone was made possible through the generous support of Jason and Lindsay Taylor. The Taylor family believed in 901STEM early in our journey, and we are grateful for their investment in our students and educators.
901 Day is a celebration of the people, organizations, and ideas that make Memphis special. We can think of no better day to begin putting this new program into action, and no better first partner than a school committed to helping all kinds of learners succeed.
Congratulations to Concord Academy. We look forward to learning, building, and creating an impact together.