Leveraging portable planetariums to inspire stem engagement

The Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education awarded Liberty Science Center, Inc. $559,000 on June 1, 2026, to leverage portable planetariums to inspire STEM engagement under the Innovative Approaches to Literacy; Promise Neighborhoods; Full-Service Community Schools; and Congressionally Directed Spending for Elementary and Secondary Education Community Projects program (CFDA 84.215).

Liberty Science Center, a non-profit science education institution based in Jersey City, New Jersey, will deliver the project through June 28, 2030. The center's work centers on using portable planetariums as an educational tool to increase student engagement in STEM fields. Liberty Science Center has established experience in federal STEM education funding, including prior cooperative agreements with NASA on afterschool engagement programs and grants from the Economic Development Administration supporting workforce development initiatives in New Jersey.

The award is structured as a project grant assistance type and supports the program's broader mission of developing literacy and educational skills in high-need communities. The grant's four-year period of performance allows the recipient to design and implement a sustained planetarium-based STEM engagement initiative aligned with federal priorities in science education and community learning.