The Smithsonian will use a $2.3 million Caterpillar Foundation donation to provide science, technology, engineering and mathematics programming in 40 communities across 21 states over the next three years.
The Smithsonian Science Education Center will provide professional development for educators, hands-on teaching resources and virtual training, according to the institution's July announcement.
Twenty-four middle and high schools will receive sponsored participation in the Smithsonian STEAM Schools of Distinction program, which supports schools integrating science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics across teaching and learning.
For those schools, the Smithsonian said it will provide immersive professional learning, ongoing virtual support and access to museums and research centers.
The gift also funds an AI-focused learning guide. Planned lessons will ask students to identify uses of artificial intelligence in their communities, investigate tools used in the STEM workforce and practice applying AI to local needs.
About 40 communities will receive virtual teacher-training sessions intended to connect classrooms with relevant Smithsonian resources. The release does not yet identify every participating school or community.
The institution described the gift as part of the Smithsonian Campaign for Our Shared Future and tied it to the United States' 250th-anniversary year.
Donation size and geographic reach do not by themselves measure learning gains. Useful evaluation would track which educators participate, how resources are used and whether schools sustain the work after the three-year period.
The immediate commitment is concrete: 24 sponsored schools, training across roughly 40 communities and a national set of classroom resources built around STEM and responsible exploration of AI.