Organization:
Scientists in School
Charitable Registration Number:
867139537RR0001
Name of Fund being applied to:
Smart and Caring Communities Fund
Address:
2-975 Dillingham Rd
Pickering, ON L1W 1Z7
Contact Name:
Karin Neubrand
Title:
Fund Development and Database Coordinator
Email:
karin.neubrand@scientistsinschool.ca
Phone Number:
9058379626
Website:
https://www.scientistsinschool.ca
Amount Requested:
3,200.00
About the organization:
Scientists in School is a leading science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education charity founded in 1989. We have inspired more than 11.5 million young scientists across Canada and have offered enrichment in Orillia since 2016. Our mission is to ignite scientific curiosity in children so that they question intelligently, learn through discovery, connect scientific knowledge to their world, are excited about STEM, and have their interest in those fields piqued.
Proposed Project Start Date:
July 1, 2026
Proposed Project End Date:
March 31, 2027
Please briefly describe the project and how the funds will be used:
– $3,200 will provide 10 online workshops to schools/community organizations in CFOA’s catchment area, plus outreach support
– We will support local educators with their STEM lessons and engage in efforts to foster and strengthen relationships within the Territory of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation
– Each child will receive a topic-specific mini science bag, designed to foster hands-on exploration and facilitate a deeper understanding of essential STEM concepts. These bags contain materials that not only enhance the workshop experience but also encourage continued experimentation
How many people will benefit from the project directly and indirectly within the geographic area covered by the CFOA:
240 local children, their teachers and community organizations will directly benefit. Children will receive inclusive STEM enrichment opportunities, teachers will receive educational resource packages benefitting current/future classes, and community hosts will receive STEM skill-building quality programming.
Please list any partnerships and collaborations for this project:
We will collaborate with public elementary schools, their boards and reach out to the Territory of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation to offer complimentary classroom workshops. For community workshops, we will contact local organizations (Public Libraries, Big Brothers Big Sisters, or similar youth focused groups) to extend our community impact. In the past decade, we have worked with 20 schools and 7 community organizations in the CFOA catchment area, delivering over 318 workshops to 8,000+ local children and youth.
Please describe any in kind contributions/volunteer labour connected to this project:
As a charitable organization, volunteers play a vital role in our success. While our presenters are compensated for delivering workshops, they also contribute significant volunteer time —working with teachers/community partners and engaging in ongoing professional development. In addition, we receive support from an in office volunteer who assists with the preparation of materials. Governance and strategic direction are provided by our 19 member volunteer Board of Directors, whose leadership is central to shaping our Strategic Plan and objectives, which guided the development of our fundraising initiatives.
How will success be evaluated?
We will monitor workshop bookings to track the number of classrooms and organizations reached. Participation in the CFOA catchment area in the previous school year was 23% of pre pandemic levels, indicating the need to re engage local children in STEM. We will also analyze quantitative and qualitative data from teacher post workshop surveys to assess youth outcomes, evaluate support for teacher development, and collect testimonials to inform continuous improvement.
Grant Request Budget
Item:
10 complimentary online classroom or community workshops @ $315 each offered to classrooms in the community of Orillia and area, including the Chippewas of Rama First Nation and to local youth-serving community organizations, Outreach costs to undertake relationship building within the Orillia community so that we may strengthen our mission impact in the region
Description ( if applicable):
Each workshop will be led live by our qualified science presenters and includes hands-on materials and shipping for individual science bags for each child to actively participate t. Our workshops also provide the opportunity for interaction with our professional presenters, who act as important STEM role models (particularly for young girls as over 75% of our presenters are female).
$ Amount:
3150.00, 50.
Total Expenses:
3200.00
Project Funding
Item:
Funds for 10 complimentary classroom/community workshops at $315 each and outreach support.
Description ( if applicable):
These costs include presenter fees, program development, quality assurance and materials and shipping costs for individual science kits provided for students in each workshop. Outreach costs are for relationship building within the community. This project is strictly for the benefit of children in the Orillia community and will help participants to gain confidence in their understanding of STEM concepts and develop vital 21st Century learning skills.
$ Amount:
3200.00
Amount Requested from CFOA:
3200.00
Total Income:
3200.00
Budget Summary
Total Project Expenses:
3200.00
Total Project Income:
3200.00
Attachments
File Upload:
https://www.communityfoundationorillia.ca/frm_file/aWQ6MTM3M3xmaWxlbmFtZTpTY2llbnRpc3RzLWluLVNjaG9vbC1GWTI1LUF1ZGl0ZWQtRmluYW5jaWFsLVN0YXRlbWVudHMucGRm, https://www.communityfoundationorillia.ca/frm_file/aWQ6MTM3NHxmaWxlbmFtZTpCb2FyZC1vZi1EaXJlY3RvcnMtQ2hhcnQtMjAyNl9TY2llbnRpc3RzLWluLVNjaG9vbC5wZGY=, https://www.communityfoundationorillia.ca/frm_file/aWQ6MTM3NXxmaWxlbmFtZTpPTi1PTC1DYXRhbG9ndWUtU2NpZW50aXN0cy1pbi1TY2hvb2wtMjAyNS0yMDI2LnBkZg==, https://www.communityfoundationorillia.ca/frm_file/aWQ6MTM3NnxmaWxlbmFtZTpTdW1tZXItMjAyNi1GbHllci1Db21tLUdyb3VwLVdrc2hwcy04LjV4MTEucGRm
Name:
Amy Schindler
Title:
Director of Fund Development and Communications
Signature:
Amy Schindler
Date:
03/25/2026
10 complimentary online classroom or community workshops @ $315 each offered to classrooms in the community of Orillia and area, including the Chippewas of Rama First Nation and to local youth-serving community organizations, Outreach costs to undertake relationship building within the Orillia community so that we may strengthen our mission impact in the region
Each workshop will be led live by our qualified science presenters and includes hands-on materials and shipping for individual science bags for each child to actively participate t. Our workshops also provide the opportunity for interaction with our professional presenters, who act as important STEM role models (particularly for young girls as over 75% of our presenters are female).
3150.00, 50.
3200.00
Item:
Funds for 10 complimentary classroom/community workshops at $315 each and outreach support.
Description ( if applicable):
These costs include presenter fees, program development, quality assurance and materials and shipping costs for individual science kits provided for students in each workshop. Outreach costs are for relationship building within the community. This project is strictly for the benefit of children in the Orillia community and will help participants to gain confidence in their understanding of STEM concepts and develop vital 21st Century learning skills.
$ Amount:
3200.00
Amount Requested from CFOA:
3200.00
Total Income:
3200.00
Budget Summary
Total Project Expenses:
3200.00
Total Project Income:
3200.00
Attachments
File Upload:
https://www.communityfoundationorillia.ca/frm_file/aWQ6MTM3M3xmaWxlbmFtZTpTY2llbnRpc3RzLWluLVNjaG9vbC1GWTI1LUF1ZGl0ZWQtRmluYW5jaWFsLVN0YXRlbWVudHMucGRm, https://www.communityfoundationorillia.ca/frm_file/aWQ6MTM3NHxmaWxlbmFtZTpCb2FyZC1vZi1EaXJlY3RvcnMtQ2hhcnQtMjAyNl9TY2llbnRpc3RzLWluLVNjaG9vbC5wZGY=, https://www.communityfoundationorillia.ca/frm_file/aWQ6MTM3NXxmaWxlbmFtZTpPTi1PTC1DYXRhbG9ndWUtU2NpZW50aXN0cy1pbi1TY2hvb2wtMjAyNS0yMDI2LnBkZg==, https://www.communityfoundationorillia.ca/frm_file/aWQ6MTM3NnxmaWxlbmFtZTpTdW1tZXItMjAyNi1GbHllci1Db21tLUdyb3VwLVdrc2hwcy04LjV4MTEucGRm
Name:
Amy Schindler
Title:
Director of Fund Development and Communications
Signature:
Amy Schindler
Date:
03/25/2026
3200.00
3200.00
https://www.communityfoundationorillia.ca/frm_file/aWQ6MTM3M3xmaWxlbmFtZTpTY2llbnRpc3RzLWluLVNjaG9vbC1GWTI1LUF1ZGl0ZWQtRmluYW5jaWFsLVN0YXRlbWVudHMucGRm, https://www.communityfoundationorillia.ca/frm_file/aWQ6MTM3NHxmaWxlbmFtZTpCb2FyZC1vZi1EaXJlY3RvcnMtQ2hhcnQtMjAyNl9TY2llbnRpc3RzLWluLVNjaG9vbC5wZGY=, https://www.communityfoundationorillia.ca/frm_file/aWQ6MTM3NXxmaWxlbmFtZTpPTi1PTC1DYXRhbG9ndWUtU2NpZW50aXN0cy1pbi1TY2hvb2wtMjAyNS0yMDI2LnBkZg==, https://www.communityfoundationorillia.ca/frm_file/aWQ6MTM3NnxmaWxlbmFtZTpTdW1tZXItMjAyNi1GbHllci1Db21tLUdyb3VwLVdrc2hwcy04LjV4MTEucGRm
Amy Schindler
Director of Fund Development and Communications
Amy Schindler
03/25/2026