Skip to content

Letter of Interest — AAUW Community Action Grant

Organization: Apex STEM Education Inc.
EIN: 42-3121570 · NJ 501(c)(3)
Contact: hello@apexstem.org · treasurer@apexstem.org
Website: https://apexstem.org
LOI window: 2026-08-17 through 2026-09-17
Approximate ask (if invited): $20,000
Project title: Expanding girls’ access to hands-on engineering roles in STEM Racing and workshops (grades 6–12, New Jersey)

LOI body (paste into AAUW portal; keep concise)

Apex STEM Education Inc. is a New Jersey 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides grades 6–12 students with hands-on STEM education through engineering design, data-driven problem solving, AI literacy, and project leadership. Our flagship program is competitive STEM Racing (Ridge Racers NJ), where students design, build, test, and present miniature race cars through a full engineering cycle.

Problem: Girls remain underrepresented in technical engineering roles in many competition STEM programs, even when overall team membership looks balanced. Without intentional recruitment, mentoring, and role placement into CAD, manufacturing, testing, and data analysis — not only enterprise or presentation tracks — confidence gaps persist from middle school into high school.

Proposed project (2026–27): With Community Action Grant support, Apex will (1) run targeted recruitment and peer-mentoring so girls take and retain technical roles; (2) deliver hands-on design–build workshops open to girls in the Watchung Hills / Somerset–Union area; and (3) document role distribution and skill outcomes each season. Flagship proof of program quality: Ridge Racers NJ earned 3rd place at STEM Racing USA National Finals 2026 plus Sustainability and Team Identity awards.

Request: Approximately $20,000 for workshop materials/tools, competition-adjacent learning supplies, mentor training materials, outreach, and need-based access support so cost is not a barrier.

Eligibility note for board before submit: Replace the bracketed line below with verified season stats. Do not invent percentages.

[BOARD FILL BEFORE SUBMIT] In the most recent season, approximately [X of Y / Z%] of active students identifying as girls held technical roles (CAD / manufacturing / testing / data). Our 2026–27 goal is [target % or count] girls in technical roles and [N] girls served through workshops.

Geographic focus: Watchung Hills area; Somerset / Union County, NJ.
Primary beneficiaries: Girls in grades 6–12; all students benefit from inclusive team culture.

We request invitation to the full Community Action Grant application.

Respectfully,
Board of Directors
Apex STEM Education Inc.

Portal checklist

  • [ ] Create/login AAUW Fellowships & Grants portal account before Aug 17
  • [ ] Confirm LOI opens Aug 17, 2026 9:00am ET (verify on AAUW site day-of)
  • [ ] Paste LOI + org facts; attach only what portal requests
  • [ ] Fill girls participation line with real data
  • [ ] Submit by Sep 17, 2026