2025 STEM Grant Recipients

MINNDEPENDENT awarded STEM grants totaling more than $47,000 to 18 member schools for projects to be implemented during the 2024-2025 school year.

INNOVATION GRANTS

  • Avail Academy – Blaine Campus

    • Creative & Sustainable Agriculture (Grades K-8) 
      Avail Academy’s mission is to equip minds and nurture hearts to reclaim God’s world. Through hands-on learning experiences in organic farming, composting, and water conservation, students will develop a sense of responsibility for caring for the earth. This project aims to cultivate thoughtful environmental stewardship by equipping students with the knowledge and skills to create sustainable food systems. Ultimately, we hope to inspire the next generation to make choices that reflect God’s love for the world and all living things. 

  • Co-Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist

    • Ozobots in the Fine Arts Program (Grades 6 -8) 
      This project will integrate Ozobot robotics into Fine Arts classes, fostering interdisciplinary connections between technology, engineering, and creativity. Ozobots, small programmable robots with color sensors, will serve as an engaging tool to enhance teamwork, problem-solving, and artistic expression in STEAM projects. 

  • Hill-Murray School

    • Innovation & Design Lab Equipment (Grades 6-12) 
      This project will enhance our Innovation & Design Lab with new equipment, enabling students to design and create innovative products. As our STEM program has grown in both course offerings and student enrollment, the need for modern tools has increased. Students will gain hands-on experience with 3D CAD and printing, laser cutting, and circuit design using microcontrollers. The addition of a vacuum former, CNC router, and lathes will allow students to manufacture the products they design. These tools will also benefit extracurricular teams, such as robotics and rocketry, and support interdisciplinary projects in science and mathematics. 

  • Minnehaha Academy (Elementary)

    • Minnehaha Innovation Lab: Ozobot Robotics to improve and deepen learning in STEM (Grades K-5) 
      Minnehaha Academy is excited to expand real-world learning opportunities for K-5 students in coding, robotics, and engineering. This project will integrate 12 Ozobot robots, themed coding challenge mats, magnetic coding tiles, coding markers, and 3D printing materials into our innovation lab. These resources will foster computational thinking, enhance student engagement, and integrate STEM concepts across subjects. Younger students will benefit from screen-free coding options, while older students will use block coding to complete STEM challenges tied to life and space sciences. Additionally, students will design 3D-printed accessories for their robots, applying engineering skills in meaningful ways. 

  • Pacelli Catholic Schools
    • Drafting and Design (Grades 7-12) 
      This course introduces students to traditional drafting techniques, computer-aided design (CAD), and AI applications in engineering and design. Through a partnership with Hormel Foods, students will engage with professional engineers, tour facilities, and participate in hands-on demonstrations. By integrating technical skills with creative problem-solving, this project will strengthen the school’s engineering and design curriculum and provide students with real-world exposure to STEM careers. 
  • St. Jude of the Lake Catholic School

    • Bolting to the Future (Grades K-8) 
      This project will integrate Sphero BOLT robots into our STEM curriculum, enhancing interactive, hands-on learning experiences. Our student population has grown significantly, and our current robots no longer meet demand. Sphero BOLTs will provide a versatile learning tool for various grade levels, fostering creativity, collaboration, and coding skills. 

  • St, Peter Lutheran School – St. Peter

    • STEM Community Leaders (Grades K-5) 
      This initiative aims to expose students to the evolving STEM workforce by fostering collaboration with local higher education institutions and industry professionals. As STEM-related careers continue to grow, our goal is to enhance students’ education with real-world applications, helping them explore potential career paths and develop essential STEM skills for the future.

STARTER GRANTS

  • All Saints Academy

    • Learn and Grow: School Garden Project (Grades K-5) 
      This project will revitalize our school’s underutilized garden space, transforming it into an outdoor STEM learning lab. By incorporating hands-on lessons in life science, earth science, and engineering, students will develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills while learning about sustainable agriculture. The garden will also encourage cross-curricular collaboration and leadership opportunities among students.  

  • Emanuel Lutheran School – Hamburg

    • Sphero Bolt+ STEM Coding Robots (Grades 7 & 8) 
      This initiative will introduce 7th and 8th-grade students to robotics and coding through hands-on activities with Sphero BOLT+ robots. These interactive tools will teach programming concepts, problem-solving, and collaboration, filling a gap in our current STEM curriculum and preparing students for future opportunities in science and technology. 

  • Hand in Hand Christian Montessori – Wayzata

    • Building Future Leaders: A STEM Initiative with Lego Spike (Grades 1 – 6) 
      This project will integrate engineering and technology into our Montessori curriculum through hands-on activities with Lego Spike. Students will develop coding skills, engage in design challenges, and explore robotics while strengthening their problem-solving abilities, critical thinking skills and teamwork as they tackle challenges like designing automated solutions or creating functional robotic systems. By integrating engineering and technology into our Montessori approach, we are preparing students for the future while reinforcing our mission to educate students to love, learn, and lead. 

  • Immanuel Lutheran School – Plainview

    • Lego Robotics (Grades 5 – 8) 
      This program will introduce students to Lego Robotics, allowing them to apply math, science, and technology skills to real-world problem-solving challenges. By programming robots to complete tasks, students will develop critical thinking, coding, and collaboration skills, fostering creativity and innovation. 

  • St. John Lutheran School – Redwood Falls

    • Robotics – Building Future Innovators (Grades K-8) 
      This project will launch a robotics program to inspire and equip students with the skills and knowledge needed to excel in STEM fields. Students will design, build, and program robots to solve practical challenges, fostering creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration. The program will introduce foundational concepts in robotics, engineering, and coding while preparing students to compete in regional and national robotics competitions.  

  • Stella Maris Academy

    • Science Lab Unveiling (Grades 9-12) 
      Following the opening of our new Catholic high school campus in 2022, this grant will help equip two state-of-the-art science labs by equipping the labs with necessary tools and resources to ensure that our science program meets the learning needs of our growing student body, support college credit courses an provide students with hands-on laboratory experiences. 

SUSTAINABILITY GRANTS

  • Nativity of Our Lord School

    • LEGO Robotics Program (Grades 4 – 6)With the help of an Innovation Grant, Nativity of Our Lord has revitalized its robotics program for 4th-6th graders. The program includes a Spike Prime unit in 4th grade STEAM classes and an after-school FIRST LEGO League for 5th and 6th graders. This allows 20 of 27 interested students to design and build robots, complete research projects, and develop presentation and teamwork skills. The program fosters innovation and coding, and 20% of 4th graders have shown interest in continuing their LEGO robotics learning. Looking ahead, we plan to expand to three FIRST LEGO League teams for the 2025-2026 school year.  

  • West Lutheran High School
    • Integrated Robotics (Grades 9-12)
      This grant will support the integration of robotics competitions into our existing engineering class, allowing students to participate during the school day. By expanding access to robotics, we hope to engage more students, including those involved in other extracurricular activities.

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP GRANTS (WE SHARE SOLAR)

  • We Share Solar Program Implementation (Grades 6-12)
    This program empowers students to explore solar energy, climate change, social justice, and innovation through hands-on learning experiences.