Supporting Museums in ASTC’s Voya STEM Futures Grantmaking Program

Audience Impact StrategyProgram Strategy and Evaluation
Written By Cathy Sigmond

Client: Association of Science and Technology Centers | Location: Washington, DC | Funding: Voya Foundation

 
 

We collaborated with the Association of Science and Technology Centers to support a network of museums participating in Voya STEM Futures, a grant program designed to enhance youth’s interest in STEM and STEM careers.

OVERVIEW

In 2024-25, we partnered with ASTC to support a network of museum professionals participating in Voya STEM Futures, a grant program designed to enhance the interest of youth audiences in STEM and STEM careers. Ten ASTC science centers and museums across the country were awarded grant funds and used them to deliver a diverse array of STEM programs and events for youth ages 8-14 years.

APPROACH

We designed a study to include strategic planning, professional capacity building, and evaluation, including three main parts:

  • A Logic Model outlining the program’s intended impact through inputs, outputs, and outcomes

  • Virtual trainings for grantees in Logic Model development and program evaluation

  • Evaluation of the ASTC grantees’ programs including youth surveys and grantee interviews

CLIENT TAKEAWAYS

ASTC staff were interested in reflecting on the grant’s existing design and intended impact to ensure it was still in alignment with ASTC’s and its funder’s priorities. Thus, we worked with staff to develop a Logic Model that will guide the grant’s planning and design into the future and can be revisited as ASTC and the world around them changes. ASTC also prioritized grantees’ professional development as part of the project by having us facilitate virtual training for grantees in Logic Model development and evaluation.

Through evaluation conducted in collaboration with grantees at their sites, we found that the Voya STEM Futures Program supported ASTC member organizations to create programs in a variety of contexts that were welcoming and sparked youth’s interest in STEM activities. While youth rated their program experiences as highly enjoyable and had some “ah-ha” learning moments, they demonstrated room for growth in their perception that STEM activities and careers are a worthwhile long-term pursuit. Teens and youth who had a history of participating in STEM prior to the program that was evaluated were more likely to be interested in pursuing STEM careers. Some of this interest has to do with the developmental level of participants but some also has to do with repeated exposure to STEM and access to STEM opportunities, which is one way museums’ STEM programs can continue to contribute to youth’s broader STEM journey.

Cathy Sigmond

Cathy brings many years of experience in education and experience design to her role as Head of Strategy at Kera Collective. 

Having previously worked in a variety of educational settings, Cathy is driven by her constant fascination and delight at how people make discoveries about the familiar and the unfamiliar. 

Cathy loves helping to shape experiences that spark curiosity and make a difference in people’s lives. She particularly enjoys the rapid, iterative nature of design-based research and the deep insights that come from qualitative research, especially on projects exploring interactions with the digital and built environments. 

Cathy shares her passion for experience design research widely and regularly guest lectures for graduate programs, including the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Exhibition and Experience Design Program and the Pratt Institute’s School of Information. Cathy served as the co-chair of the Museum Computer Network’s Human-Centered Design special interest group from 2018-2021.

Outside of work, you can usually find Cathy playing soccer, thrifting, or making her way through her large cookbook collection. 

Cathy’s favorite museum experiences are immersive; she will always vividly remember walking through the giant heart at the Franklin Institute, being surrounded by birds at the Peabody Essex Museum, and hearing centuries-old instruments come to life at the Museum of Musical Instruments. 

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Front-end and Formative Evaluation for the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center’s Exhibition Residency