Applications Open October 2026!

GSK Science in the Summer™ is a free, informal science summer program for youth entering grades 2 to 6.

Supported by GSK and offered in collaboration with The Franklin Institute, the goals of Science in the Summer are: 

  • To increase youth interest and confidence in doing science and pursuing STEM careers, especially for youth in under-resourced communities 

  • To build educator confidence and skills to facilitate high-quality informal STEM experiences for youth 

  • To build organization capacity to provide high-quality STEM programming

The Franklin Institute supports organizations to fold the program into their existing structures. 

Check out last summer's curriculum here! 

A young girl and two other learners lean close together, with one learner holding a funnel containing filter paper and soil, and the other investigating with a pipette.

 

Learners participating in the Be a Water Chemist activity from the 2026 Be a Chemist! curriculum. 

PROGRAM BENEFITS

Accepted organizations commit to a seven-month program cycle (February to September with programming from May to August) and receive the following benefits: 

  • Science in the Summer STEM curriculum and materials to deliver all five program activities

  • In-person training for educators at The Franklin Institute 

  • Stipend to help support program implementation and field trip transportation costs 

  • A free visit to The Franklin Institute  

  • Ongoing program support from The Franklin Institute team
     

PROGRAM EXPECTATIONS

Accepted organizations will:

  • Identify two (2) staff to act as Program Leads, responsible for overseeing program implementation and ensuring your organization meets all program expectations 

  • Identify a maximum of two (2) educators per site to act as STEM Specialists, who will be trained by TFI to deliver all SIS programming 

  • Deliver at minimum 4 of the 5 program activities for free to the approved number of youth in grades 2 to 6, between May and August
     

WHO SHOULD APPLY

Organizations that: 

  • Are located in the city of Camden, NJ or the following PA counties: Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, or Philadelphia

  • Offer programming for youth entering grades 2 to 6 during the summer

  • Have educator(s) who will be trained as STEM Specialists and deliver the curriculum to youth

  • Are committed to bringing programming to youth, especially youth in under-resourced communities 

Examples of eligible organizations include community-based organizations (CBOs), out-of-school-time providers (OSTs), after school providers (ASPs) that offer summer programming, low-cost or free summer camps, day cares/early childhood service providers, and public school summer programs.
 

APPLICATION TIMELINE

Applications will open in October 2026. Instructions to apply will be available on this webpage.

October: Applications launch  
November 4: Application webinar (check back in October for webinar registration details) 
November 20: Application deadline
 

QUESTIONS? 

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

TESTIMONIALS
 

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

Honestly, when my executive director asked me in 2016, are you sure science is your jam? My answer would have been, I don't know. I guess I’ll find out. And now it's like, yes, absolutely. Science is my super duper jam. Just tell me what you want me to teach and give me a couple of days so I can kind of figure out how I'm going to teach it and I'm good to go. It made me fearless.
 – 2026 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 

 

In an image on the left, a young boy holds up two pencils with strips of thin paper clipped to them. The strips of paper show ink spreading in water. In an image on the right, a young girl smiles as an educator helps her clip paper strips onto her pencil.

 

Learners participating in the Be a Forensic Chemist activity from the 2026 Be a Chemist! curriculum.