Funding Opportunity: Fabrication Laboratories (Fab Labs) Program
Presented by: Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC)
Through the Fabrication Laboratories (Fab Labs) Program, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) is helping to equip public schools across the state to prepare students for the manufacturing jobs of the future. Collaboration is also a key feature of these labs, with schools throughout the country and around the world communicating to share ideas.
How It Works
WEDC will provide grants of up to $25,000 to eligible Wisconsin public school districts for the creation and/or expansion of fabrication laboratories within the school district. The funds may be used to purchase equipment used for instructional and educational purposes by elementary, middle, junior or high school students. Applications for the first grant year are due Jan. 22, 2016.
Eligibility Requirements
Fab Labs Grants will be awarded through a competitive process, with applications evaluated based on curriculum, partnerships, financial need and evidence of long-range planning. Competitively selected applications will subsequently be ranked based upon additional financial need criteria to determine final award recipients.
School districts are required to contribute matching funds such that the WEDC grant covers no more than 75 percent of the project cost in the first grant year. Awardees may apply for additional funding in subsequent years, but at a reduced reimbursement rate (50 percent of the project cost for a second award and 25 percent for a third award to the same recipient), with a cumulative maximum of $75,000 in grant funding per district. Grant cycles will be made available on an annual basis until the lifetime program cap of $500,000 is fully disbursed.
