May Newsletter at a Glance

Program Highlight: Partnering with North Dakota's Gateway to Science

Get Involved: President Trump's Proposed Budget for Fiscal Year 2026 Eliminates 21CCLC Funding

Funding Opportunities: ND 21CCLC Grant Application Open

Professional Development: Ready, STEM, Go!, Grant Writing, and More

Program Highlight

North Dakota's Gateway to Science

picture of the gateway to science van in front of some scenery

North Dakota’s Gateway to Science (NDGTS) cultivates curiosity in communities across the state. Their mission is to inspire the discovery of science through hands-on experiences, an engaging strategy to enhance learning outside of school-time. 


NDGTS recognizes that smaller, rural communities may not have the same scientific resources as larger cities. To increase inclusivity across urban and rural populations, they began a NDGTS on the Go program to break barriers to expand career exploration. The on-the-go program has two branches of support: STEMZone kits and STEM workshops. In each program, a team member from NDGTS hops in their mobile lab (a colorfully wrapped van) and heads off to a community with resources to share. STEMZone kits are pre-packaged STEM exploration stations. NDGTS has close to 60 kits to choose from ranging in age-level and topic. Schools can choose from learning about magnets with kindergarteners to exploring the forensics of a crime scene in high school. The NDGTS educator helps facilitate the overall event. Access the full article here.

Learn How To Partner With NDGTS

Get Involved

Policy Updates


President Trump's proposed budget for fiscal year 2026 was announced on May 2, with the proposed elimination of funding for 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21CCLC), the only federal funding stream dedicated to afterschool and summer programs. In response, the Afterschool Alliance is hosting the Afterschool for All Challenge on May 6th in Washington, D.C. and across the country as a call to action to contact congress, sharing the benefits of afterschool and how each state could be impacted (see how North Dakota could be impacted here). 

Funding Opportunities

North Dakota Department of Public Instruction opened 2025-2026 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) grant competition in April 2025.


Five-year grants are available, beginning July 1, 2025 for a minimum of $50,000 and a maximum of $350,000. Annual grant funding depends on the availability of federal money. Applications must be turned in by 12:01 p.m. on June 10, 2025. They must be submitted through the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction’s WebGrants site. Have questions on 21st CCLC best practices? Check out ongoing ND Afterschool Network office hours throughout the month! ⬇️

Interested in submitting an application for the 2025 21st Century Community Learning Centers Grant Competition? ND Afterschool Network is hosting open-house style virtual sessions for current and potential grantees to ask questions about best practices and learn from others about high-quality afterschool programming. Register below for the Zoom link. Sessions will not be recorded but you can contact the Network at any time with questions. Note: As a ND 21CCLC technical assistance provider, the Network is not able to review or provide specific feedback on proposals, but can provide resources on data and best practices. Session dates and times are: May 6, 2025 from 10:00 to 11:00am CT, May 14, 2025 from 9:00 to 10:00am CT, and May 22, 2025 from 2:00 to 3:00pm CT. Visit www.ndafterschoolnetwork.com or email Kristin.Knorr@k12.nd.us for more information.

Professional Development

Logo for Ready, STEM, Go! with an illustration of a rocketship and the names of the states sponsoring the event: Vermont, Nebraska, Ohio, Montana, Illinois, North Dakota

Ready, STEM, Go!

May 7-8, 2025 | Virtual

Hosted by six statewide afterschool networks, including ND Afterschool Network, all out-of-school time staff are invited to attend the 3rd annual Ready, STEM, Go virtual conference to learn about STEM-related topics, tools, and strategies and connect with peers from across the state and country. Registration is now OPEN for this FREE, virtual conference.

Beginner’s Guide to Grant Writing

NDSU Extension will be offering a remote, shortened version, of their two-day Beginner’s Guide To Grant writing. The class will take place over Zoom May 13th 1-2:30Free for any ND OST program with support from the ND Afterschool Network!


This condensed version will help you to start thinking about the big issues you face when grant writing.


To register, please click here. Once registered, you will receive a Zoom link for the workshop.


Approved for 1.5 training hours though Growing Futures!

Free webinar Register here July 30, 2025 11:00 - 12:00pm CT Strategies for Out of School Time Supervisors Are you an afterschool supervisor who struggles to train staff in the complicated area of behavior management strategies? The Training that “Sticks” model aims to provide an approach to behavior management that promotes ongoing staff growth and development. This evidence-informed model was designed specifically for supervisors who face the unique challenges of the afterschool workforce: limited time for training, a high number of part-time staff, significant levels of staff turnover, and working with staff who haven’t had formal youth development training. Join this workshop to learn how to incorporate specific behavior management strategies into your programs and walk away with a training structure and curriculum to implement with your staff team. Attend live and recieve a FREE Training Kit!
Our Mission
We equip North Dakota afterschool programs with the tools and support to expand program quality, build leadership capacity, and ensure access to afterschool programs for all youth in their community.


www.ndafterschoolnetwork.com

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