Fabrication Laboratory (Fab Lab) Grant Program

Fabrication Laboratory (Fab Lab) Grant Program is sponsored by American Honda Foundation. Funds the implementation and operation of fabrication laboratories in schools and nonprofits with a focus on STEAM and design engineering.

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Fabrication Laboratories Grant Application period closed! The Fabrication Laboratories Grant Program is no longer accepting applications, as we have reached the funding limit for this fiscal year.

Equipping students to thrive in a global market The Fabrication Laboratories (Fab Labs) Grant Program is designed to support hands-on science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) education by assisting Wisconsin public school districts with purchases of equipment used for instructional and educational purposes in fab labs.

This learning environment enables students to learn the skills necessary to thrive in the 21st century global economy. By helping to fund labs that school districts might not otherwise be able to afford, this program allows more K-12 students to receive direct experience with STEAM skills—and ultimately leads to more graduates entering the workforce equipped with these skills.

This program demonstrates that Wisconsin understands how important STEAM skills are to the business community as well as new companies seeking to locate here. Fab labs also serve a broader economic development purpose by acting as a resource for entrepreneurs, inventors, and businesses from their local areas—thus sparking innovation in their surrounding communities. Click to view the current guidelines and information for this program.

WEDC will provide grants of up to $25,000 to eligible Wisconsin public school districts, or up to $50,000 to consortiums of two or more public school districts, for the creation and/or expansion of fabrication laboratories within the school district(s). The minimum grant amount available is $10,000.

The funds may be used to purchase equipment used for instructional and educational purposes by elementary, middle, junior high, or high school students. Applicants must supply matching funds equal to at least 50% of the grant amount provided by WEDC. Prior purchases of equipment may not be counted for grant reimbursement or the match amount.

Applicants may only be awarded one grant per fiscal year, with a lifetime limit of three grants (with exemptions to this limit for Milwaukee Public Schools, for the expansion of a fab lab to allow use by K-8 students, and for the expansion or addition of a fab lab to include artificial intelligence or related skills training).

Fab Labs Grants will be awarded through a non-competitive process (first come first served), with applications evaluated based on readiness and long-range planning, curriculum, business and community partnerships, financial need and previous awards. Through the Fab Labs Grant Program, WEDC is helping to equip public schools across the state to prepare students for the manufacturing jobs of the future.

Collaboration is also a key feature of these labs, with schools throughout the country and around the world communicating to share ideas.

Getting started with fab labs (Fab Foundation) WiFAB, created in partnership with UW-Stout, is a new online resource to help PK-12 school districts collaborate and share information by providing a space to disseminate relevant curricula, champion best practices, address common challenges and facilitate inter-lab communications.

Wisconsin Public PK-12 districts are now able to request technical assistance through the web portal to build and grow their Fabrication Laboratories. You will find a link to request assistance on this page. WiFAB – Technical Assistance WiFAB Cooperative Training For Teachers Resources and Inspiration for K-8 Fab Labs Can Kids As young As Three Learn to Design and Create In Fab Labs?

This page will be updated as new offerings become available. Frequently Asked Questions School District of New Lisbon case study Prescott School District case study FY26 Grant Recipients FY16-FY24 Grant Recipients Map Business & Community Development Grants Manager news, plus info and resources, delivered right to your inbox. news, plus info and resources, delivered right to your inbox.

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