Applications are now closed.

GSK Science in the Summer™ is a free, informal science summer program for children entering grades 2-6. Check back in winter of 2025 for next year's application.

Supported by GSK and offered in collaboration with The Franklin Institute, the goal of Science in the Summer is to increase children's interest and confidence in doing science and pursuing STEM careers, especially for children from backgrounds currently underrepresented in STEM fields. The Franklin Institute will support your organization to fold the program into your existing structure and increase your educators’ confidence and skills to lead high-quality STEM programming.

Check out our 2024 theme, Be a Space Scientist! here.

Program Benefits

High-quality STEM curriculum and materials for five program activities, including kits of materials, educator guides, student lab notebooks, and sticker sheets for youth in grades 2 - 6
Professional development and curriculum training for your staff via an in-person training at The Franklin Institute or virtual, asynchronous trainings
Stipend for replenishing materials as necessary and to support field trip transportation costs (if applicable), and other program-related expenses
A field trip to The Franklin Institute, including free general admission for students and adult chaperones
Ongoing technical support from The Franklin Institute program team

Program Expectations

Identify two staff from your organization who will be responsible for coordination, reporting on deliverables, ongoing communications with the program team, and ensuring your organization meets all program expectations
Coordinate all program logistics including materials management, recruitment of local community partners, and tracking attendance
Deliver 4 out of the 5 activities of free programming to the approved number of youths in grades 2-6, between June and August.
- Programs should be delivered in-person by educators trained by The Franklin Institute

Who Should Apply?

The Franklin Institute will accept applications from Philadelphia-area organizations that meet the below requirements:

are located in the city of Camden, NJ or following counties: Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, or Philadelphia
offer programming for youth entering grades 2 – 6 between the months of June-August
have educators on staff who are able/willing to be trained to deliver the five hours of curriculum
are committed to bringing accessible programs to youth from backgrounds currently underrepresented in STEM fields.

Examples of organizations that may apply include Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), Out-of-School-Time providers (OST), After School Providers (ASP) that have summer programming, low-cost or free summer camps, day cares/early childhood service providers, and public school summer programs.

Questions? Contact us at scienceinthesummer@fi.edu for more information.

Testimonials

[GSK Science in the Summer™] does lend itself to piquing [kids’] interest in a way that we wouldn't be able to do during the school year or in other projects we've done. And I think a lot of that has to do with…exposure to materials, exposure to discussion about the sciences, and the activities that they're doing, where they come from and all of that… They're engaging at a level that they otherwise wouldn't have had.
– 2023 Educator

The GSK Science in the Summer™ program allowed us to increase our summer engagement, I mean, a million times over. The curriculum that was provided was very accessible both for the students, but also for the educators that were facilitating the activities with the kids. And so, it really helped empower our counselors, our instructors, and our partners who were facilitating the program at their sites.
– 2023 Partner

I will be incorporating more STEM-based programs after being part of [GSK Science in the Summer™]. It has not only piqued my interest in science, but [it has] given me a new awareness of how much STEM is used in our daily lives. I feel much more confident and comfortable relating and using STEM in our other programming that is mostly arts-based because I see more clearly now how they interact.
– 2023 Educator

I wish all of the organizations that I worked with operate the way that [GSK] Science in the Summer™ does. The amount of communication and the accessibility to support from The Franklin [Institute] was and is just immense and immensely helpful. The outline, the structure of the program, the high level of communication. I never felt alone or abandoned or left to the wind. I never had to figure anything out on my own. There was always a resource or a person that was available when I had questions.
– 2023 Partner

Youth during the Be a Sound Engineer activity

Learners participating in the Be a Sound Engineer activity from the 2023 Be a Physicist! curriculum.