Achievements

Ohio Department of Education Community Connectors Fund  ($900,600.00)

From 2014-2019, the Community Connector grant was awarded to the Partnership for Innovation in Education, furthering PIE’s partnership with Ohio Public School Districts and launching CaseLAB® Career Academy.  The program featured 5,000 students following case-based, immersion learning labs with industry mentors from over 35 industries including robotics, aerospace, engineering, industrial design, health care, business, agriculture, construction, logistics, and biotechnology with a focus on amplifying efforts encouraging girls and minority students to become engaged in STEM careers – science, technology, engineering and math.

Ohio Department of Education Straight A Innovation Fund Recipient and School District Partner ($1,100,000.00)

From 2013-2018, PIE used transformative case-based learning programs to serve 26 schools in two Ohio School Districts with at-risk and underserved student demographics, reaching 45,000 students, and 6,000 educators. Program funded the development of educator tools and digital STEM curriculum, in addition to providing new career pathway assessments featuring student-created Android and Apple apps gameifying STEM concepts with 14 business, community and arts partners. Grant was awarded by the Ohio Office of Governor and Ohio General Assembly, and served as the first case-based program in the United States serving 7th-12th grade students.

Fifth Third Bank Foundation – Jacob G. Schmidlapp Fund

PNC Charitable Trusts – Josephine S. Russell Charitable Trust and Jack J. Smith Jr. Charitable Trust

Funding supports the development of new career and credential pathway programs offering experiential “hands on” learning.

Duke Energy Community Foundation K-12 STEM and Workforce Readiness Grants

Duke Energy supports PIE K-12 CaseLAB® and Career Academy programs featuring authentic learning and workforce readiness initiatives in Ohio and Northern Kentucky School Districts developing immersive learning and skills credentialing programs for occupations in energy, environmental science, geology, information technology, drone engineering, conservation, engineering, and data analytics. Grants received beginning 2012 through 2020.

Martha Holden Jennings Foundation Grant

Funding supports innovative, experiential learning in Ohio public school classrooms with College Credit Plus electives for high school students.

US Department of Education and OH Department of Education RemotEDx Grant ($150,000)

Program expanded the CaseLAB® Career Academy program reaching 1.6M students and 750,000 educators.

Social Venture Partners – Fast Pitch First Place Champion

As the 2020 Fast Pitch First Place Winner, PIE launched its CaseLAB® Immersive Learning Career Academy DronePreneur High School program into the hands of at-risk students across southwestern Ohio, committed to exploring emerging career pathways in drone engineering, data analytics, 3-D imaging,  aviation logistics, product modeling, entrepreneurship, transportation, cybersecurity and data visualization. PIE Executives competed in a venture funding “pitch” competition, and received the top financial and pitch prizes.

Pfau Family Foundation – Greater Cincinnati Foundation

Grant recipients (2018-2021) for the PIE CaseLAB® Career Academy programs allowing students to engage in “real life” industry experience in 7th-12th grades, specifically for underserved schools in Ohio with students pursuing emerging career pathways and in-demand occupations, specifically in data analytics, drone engineering, aviation programming/modeling, business entrepreneurship, marketing, finance, logistics, information technology and cybersecurity.

ArtsWave Science Technology Engineering Art Math (STEAM) Program Development Catalyst Grant Award

From  3-D modeling and engineering the “perfect” ballet shoe meeting all the design and ergonomic elements of a professional Cincinnati Ballet dancer, middle school students in at-risk public schools connect Mathematics and Science classroom learning to working with company executives and professional dancers in designing and producing a new product that solves the challenge of producing a high-quality, cost-efficient product that lasts longer than its competition.

Best Buy Community Foundation

Rated as “one the best nonprofit partners” in developing authentic innovative programs connecting engineering and information technology learning labs to immersive projects that produce value for underserved students leading to in-demand career pathways, PIE has been chosen since 2014 to receive the yearly Best Buy Grant Awards with the added bonus of being chose to serve as the Geek Squad Summer Academy sponsor (2017-2020), allowing 200 at-risk students to participate in the 3-Day Summer IT program at no cost.

AstraZeneca ACT on Health Equity Grant

Funding expanded CaseLAB® Career Academy programming for underserved and at-risk students in Ohio.

Walmart Community Grant Foundation

Recipient of a prestigious “Big Idea” grant for the development of the CaseLAB® Career Academy programs allowing underserved students to excel in 21st century IT skill-based occupations including cybersecurity, game design, programming, data visualization, data analytics, and computer science.

Ohio Department of Higher Education STEM Public Private Grant Award

Recipient of the Two-Year ODHE STEM Public Private Grant, PIE delivered case based challenges featuring engineering of food trikes and water sampling drone technology used throughout southwestern Ohio with robotic arm development, small capacity refrigeration and value-added engineering of aviation design and logistics elements, including mentoring opportunities with Ohio’s leading robotics, engineering, waterway, energy,  and agricultural experts.