By working with farmers, Bayer Fund invests in children by strengthening science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education in rural schools.
- Bayer Fund’s $15,000 America’s Farmers Grow Rural Education grant will help Bowling Green City School District to fund its Seed to STEM project.
- School districts from across the country were nominated and selected by a panel of teachers and farmers to receive STEM grants through Grow Rural Education.
- Since 2010, Bayer Fund’s America’s Farmers programs have awarded more than $57 million to thousands of nonprofits, schools and ag students across rural America.
In early 2020, Bayer Fund’s America’s Farmers Grow Rural Education partnered with local farmers to nominate rural public school districts and award grants to enhance their science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) curriculum. Because area farmers answered the call, through Grow Rural Education, Bayer Fund awarded a $15,000 grant to Bowling Green City School District.
Grow Rural Education grants have helped schools purchase an array of STEM-related materials, such as augmented-reality sandboxes, weather-forecasting and robotics equipment. Bowling Green City School District will use the Grow Rural Education funds to renovate the district’s greenhouse which will enable high school students to investigate propagation of plants through the full life-cycle.
To qualify for a Grow Rural Education grant, farmers nominate a public school district to compete for a merit-based $15,000 grant. School districts that are nominated, then submit a grant application describing their STEM-focused project. Grow Rural Education’s Farmer Advisory Council, consisting of a panel of math and science teachers and approximately 30 farmer leaders from across the country, review the finalist applications and select the winning school districts, including Bowling Green City School District.
