DURHAM, N.C. – The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is proud to announce the recipients of the 2025 Student STEM Enrichment Program (SSEP) awards. These grants support creative, hands-on learning opportunities that inspire curiosity, foster innovation, and expand opportunity and access to STEM education for K–12 students across North Carolina.
This year’s awardees represent a diverse network of universities, nonprofits, and community-based programs—all committed to advancing equitable access and excellence in STEM through immersive, inquiry-driven experiences that reach students where they live and learn.
“The Student STEM Enrichment Program is one of our most impactful investments in cultivating the next generation of problem solvers,” said Alfred Mays, Chief Diversity Officer and Senior Program Officer at the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. “By supporting programs that reflect the creativity and diversity of North Carolina’s communities, we’re helping young people see themselves in potential STEM careers—and shaping a future where opportunity in STEM is accessible to all.”
2025 SSEP Award Recipients
- Boys & Girls Clubs serving Wake County – IQ Athletes Program
- Campbell University – Biotechnology Immersive Outreach for STEM Students and Teachers (BIOS2)
- Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation – Wilderness Watershed Adventure
- Duke University – Duke Research in Engineering Program
- Edgecombe County Public Schools Educational Foundation – Robotics and Innovation in STEM Education (RISE)
- Elon University – Start Early in Medicine
- Partnership for Appalachian Girls’ Education – Expanding Place-Based STEAM Education Opportunities for Girls in Rural Appalachia
- The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – Future Researchers for Environmental Solutions and Health Outcomes (FRESH)
- The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – Women and Underrepresented Genders in STEM Promoting Inclusion in Research Experiences (WinSPIRE) Targeted Research Initiatives at UNC
- Urban Sustainability Solutions, Inc. – Green Stormwater Infrastructure STEM Enrichment and Workforce Development to Reduce Sedimentation & Pollution of NC Waterways
- Wendell Scott Foundation, Inc. – Steer into STEM: Cultivating Minds, Engineering Futures
Through SSEP, the Burroughs Wellcome Fund continues its longstanding commitment to supporting out-of-school STEM learning that empowers students to think critically, explore their environment, and envision futures in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
For more information about the Student STEM Enrichment Program and other funding opportunities, visit bwfund.org.

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