The Gene Haas Foundation was established in 1999, by Gene Haas, founder and owner of Haas Automation, Inc., to support the needs of the local community, through grants to such local charities as the Boys and Girls Clubs, Food Share, Rescue Mission, and others.

Seeing a growing need for skilled manufacturing employees industry wide, the Foundation expanded its mission to include support for manufacturing training programs throughout North America and beyond. By providing scholarship grants, sponsoring individual and team CNC competitions, and partnering with the very best CNC training programs in the world, the Foundation helps expand the availability of high-quality manufacturing technology training worldwide.

The Gene Haas Foundation donates millions of dollars every year to manufacturing education and the community. In 2022, the Gene Haas Foundation provided more than $27 million in grants, bringing the total since inception to more than $175 million.

Each year Samsung hosts a $2 million national competition where students are asked to consider how science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) can be used to create change in their communities. With the help of their teachers, students can apply to the contest and compete to win $100,000 in prizes for their school, plus the opportunity to work with Samsung employees to develop their prototypes . Through the Solve for Tomorrow competition, teachers have the opportunity to teach Problem-Based Learning (PBL) to students by challenging them to find a solution to a problem impacting their community.

• Do you teach in a middle and high school classroom?
• Do you have an innovative idea for improving STEM (Science, technology, engineering and math) learning in your classroom?
• Is your idea project based learning with measurable outcomes?
• What do you need to make learning STEM subjects fun for your students?

Sixth to 12th grade teachers are invited to apply on-line for a Toshiba America Foundation grant of up to $5,000 and more than $5,000 to help bring an innovative project into their own classroom.

With a Toshiba America Foundation grant, sixth to 12th grade teachers can bring their best new teaching ideas to life.

• Menards - this handy, home improvement store does give materials to teachers, but requests have to be done in writing. Send your request in writing directly to the Donations Committee at 5101 Menard Drive, Eau Claire, WI 54703. The committee meets monthly and works via U.S. mail.

 WSST has a variety of grants for members for projects and professional development. They are $1000 or less and have a deadline of December 31st. 

 Several foundations help support schools in implementing Project Lead the Way. These funds help defray professional development and materials costs.