Last Updated on October 7, 2022 11:22 am
From the Highlands Biological Station to the Museum of Coastal Carolina, Grandfather Mountain to Port Discover, 55 science centers across the state have been awarded $6.3 million in special grants as part of the North Carolina Science Museums Grant Program. Funding for these special grants is made possible by the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) as directed by the 2021 State Budget. Grants were awarded based on state legislated criteria that promote the priorities of state government, with a primary goal of enhancing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education opportunities for the public, particularly in low-resource communities.
“The North Carolina Science Museums Grant Program helps fund crucial science education across our state,” said D. Reid Wilson, secretary of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. “This investment of federal funds by the legislature and the Governor will increase access to STEM experiences no matter where you live in North Carolina.”
The awards, which ranged from $70,000 to $185,000, will be applied to spending in a federal timeline for ARPA funding that covers expenditures from 2022 through 2025 at these science centers.
“The great work of these museums continues to place our state at the forefront of informal science education nationally and these grants support that endeavor,” says Darrell Stover, Head of the North Carolina Science Museums Grant Program at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.
A full list of centers receiving grant awards is below:
Avery CountyGrandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation, $144,439.59
Beaufort CountyAurora Fossil Museum Foundation, Inc., $173,163.02North Carolina Estuarium, $129,395.62
Bertie CountyRoanoke/Cashie River Center, $150,636.55
Brunswick CountyOcean Isle Museum Foundation, Inc., $144,460.21Bald Head Island Conservancy, $123,008.16
Buncombe CountyThe North Carolina Arboretum Society, $127,048.34Asheville Museum of Science, $122,961.09Friends of the WNC Nature Center, $96,904.49
Carteret CountyCore Sound Waterfowl Museum, $133,850.50
Caswell CountyConservators Center, $126,111.92
Catawba CountyCatawba Science Center, Inc., $106,363.61
Chatham CountyCarolina Tiger Rescue, $104,765.26
Cumberland CountyFriends of the Parks Foundation, Inc. (Fascinate-U Children's Museum), $119,959.98Cape Fear Botanical Garden, $107,028.71
Duplin CountyCowan Museum of History and Science, $123,908.56
Durham CountyNorth Carolina Museum of Life and Science, $135,033.70Sarah P. Duke Gardens, $76,488.53Duke Lemur Center, $70,549.80
Forsyth CountyKaleideum, $97,148.45Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden, $84,372.49
Gaston CountyDaniel Stowe Botanical Garden, $115,851.16The Schiele Museum of Natural History, $111,180.63
Guilford CountyNatural Science Center of Greensboro (Greensboro Science Center), $97,422.37Greensboro Children's Museum, $95,650.63
Halifax CountySylvan Heights Waterfowl Park and Eco-Center, Inc., $185,242.83
Henderson CountyHands On! – A Child's Gallery (Hands On! Children's Museum), $106,619.86Aquarium & Shark Lab by Team ECCO, $71,884.28
Iredell CountyIredell Museums, $78,242.45Allison Woods Outdoor Learning Center, $112,783.94
Macon CountyHighlands Nature Center & Botanical Garden, $147,672.18
Mecklenburg CountyCarolina Raptor Center, $132,583.87Discovery Place Kids-Huntersville, $101,664.21Discovery Place Science (DPS), $83,146.84Discovery Place Nature, $74,311.96UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens, $71,046.99
Nash CountyRocky Mount Children's Museum, $127,042.80
New Hanover CountyCape Fear Museum of History and Science, $111,691.76Airlie Garden, $108,077.69Wilmington Children's Museum, Inc., $89,760.07
Onslow CountySturgeon City of Jacksonville, $109,191.73
Orange CountyNorth Carolina Botanical Garden Foundation, Inc. on behalf of North Carolina Botanical Garden, $120,108.62Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, $84,762.28Chapel Hill-Carrboro Children's Museum (Kidzu Children's Museum), $76,623.13
Pasquotank CountyPort Discover: Northeastern North Carolina's Center for Hands-on Science, $148,032.71
Pitt CountyRiver Park North(RPN) Walter J. Stasavich Science and Nature Center, $116,926.86
Richmond CountyDiscovery Place Kids-Rockingham, $142,496.09
Robeson CountyExploration Station, $123,754.33
Rowan CountyRowan County Nature Center and Wildlife Adventures, $141,079.25
Rutherford CountyKidSenses Children's Interactive Museum, $154,998.09
Surry CountyMount Airy Museum of Regional History, $109,931.68
Transylvania CountyCradle of Forestry Heritage Site $117,770.91Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute, $106,789.89
Wake CountyMarbles Kids Museum, $101,609.21
Wilson CountyScience Museums of Wilson, Inc. (Imagination Station Science & History Museum), $126,450.12
For more information about the North Carolina Science Museums Grant Program, visit ncmuseumgrant.naturalsciences.org
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About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural ResourcesThe N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (NCDNCR) is the state agency with a vision to be the leader in using the state's natural and cultural resources to build the social, cultural, educational and economic future of North Carolina. NCDNCR's mission is to improve the quality of life in our state by creating opportunities to experience excellence in the arts, history, libraries and nature in North Carolina by stimulating learning, inspiring creativity, preserving the state's history, conserving the state's natural heritage, encouraging recreation and cultural tourism, and promoting economic development.
NCDNCR includes 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, three science museums, three aquariums and Jennette's Pier, 41 state parks and recreation areas, the N.C. Zoo, the N.C. Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, State Preservation Office and the Office of State Archaeology, and the Division of Land and Water Stewardship. For more information, please visit www.ncdcr.gov.
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