RAINBOW CITY, AL. — The Challenger Learning Center of Northeast Alabama has received a $150,000 grant to help Title I students across nine Northeast Alabama counties participate in simulated space missions and STEM programming during the 2026–2027 academic year.
The funding was awarded through the Phillip A. & Elise A. Sanguinetti Scholarship Fund Grant administered by the Community Foundation of Northeast Alabama.
The grant will support eligible Title I schools in Etowah, St. Clair, Calhoun, Talladega, Clay, Randolph, Cherokee, DeKalb and Cleburne counties. Funding will allow the center to reduce the cost of a simulated space mission and accompanying STEM activity for participating schools.
Students in grades 5 through 8 will be eligible to participate. One grade level per school may apply, with schools registering in cohorts of up to 40 students. The center can accommodate up to 80 students, or two cohorts, per program day.
“We’re deeply grateful to the Community Foundation of Northeast Alabama and the Sanguinetti family for investing in the future of our region’s students,” said Dr. Farrah Hayes, executive director of the Challenger Learning Center of Northeast Alabama.
Eligible Title I school systems interested in scheduling a visit may submit an application through challengeral.org or contact the center at info@challengeral.org.
The Community Foundation of Northeast Alabama previously served as the Challenger Learning Center’s fiscal sponsor during the center’s building and establishment phase.
Established in 1999 with roots tracing to a 1920 community bequest, the Community Foundation serves Calhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, DeKalb, Etowah, Randolph, St. Clair and Talladega counties. The organization manages more than 300 charitable funds and reported distributing $8,922,214 in grants and scholarships across the region in 2025.
The Challenger Learning Center of Northeast Alabama is Alabama’s only Challenger Learning Center. It provides NASA-inspired simulated space missions as well as science experiments, engineering challenges and technology-based STEM activities. The center serves students across a 12-county region in Northeast Alabama.
