Accelerate STEAM Education: The 2025 GM Challenge ($250,000 prize) Deadline: 8 October, 2025

Applications are open for the Accelerate STEAM Education: The 2025 GM Challenge. The Challenge seeks inspiring solutions that increase STEAM learning in the United States and allow learners of all ages to explore and succeed in STEAM careers.

STEAM education—integrating science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics—represents a critical pathway for preparing learners for an ever-evolving world. However, significant barriers prevent many students from accessing quality STEAM learning experiences and pursuing STEAM careers. Current gaps in representation, accessibility, and engagement disproportionately affect some learners, meaning far too few are gaining the skills and confidence needed to thrive in STEAM fields like Information Technology, Automotive and Electrical Engineering, Industrial Manufacturing, and Renewable Energy.

The Challenge seeks seeking solutions that improve the quality and accessibility of STEAM education and improve pathways to STEAM careers by addressing one or more of the following key areas:

• Build Confidence via Mentorship & Role Models: Help learners see themselves as capable STEAM practitioners and develop a strong identity connection to STEAM fields. Connect learners with mentors and role models who can provide guidance and inspiration.
• Accessibility & Learner Success: Ensure STEAM education is accessible to all, including those with diverse learning needs. Boost learner confidence and engagement through personalized, culturally responsive approaches – leading to increased foundational reading, math, and/or science skills.
• Educator Support: Provide teachers with robust professional development and training so that they can better support STEAM learning for all.
• Pathways to STEAM Careers: Illuminate the multiple pathways to STEAM careers, including those that don’t require traditional four-year degrees.

Prize

• A prize pool of $250,000 will be distributed to up to five winning solutions.

Eligibility

• Solutions can be for-profit, nonprofit, or hybrid companies. This Challenge has a preference for solutions led by nonprofit organizations. The following institutions are not eligible to apply:
  • Capital campaigns, endowments, or private buildings
  • Faith-based organizations for religious purposes
  • Government/tax-supported entities
  • Hospitals and medical-related facilities
  • Other foundations for purposes of building endowment
  • Political candidates, campaigns, or organizations
  • Private clubs, fraternities, or sororities
  • Organizations that do not share GM’s values
  • Organizations that unlawfully discriminate against individuals or groups on the basis of characteristics protected by local, state or federal law.
• Solutions that focus on pathways to careers in the automotive industry are encouraged.
• While solutions do not need to be enabled by technology, this Challenge does encourage solutions utilizing a variety of technologies to apply, including those driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), mobile apps, offline-capable systems, SMS and text-based, and more.
• Solutions must be serving beneficiaries in the United States. Organizations may be registered in and/or operating outside of the United States, but must have current deployment operations in the US or near-term plans to deploy their solution in the US.
• Applications must be written in English.

Application

Deadline: October 8, 2025

For more information, visit GM Challenge.