The Edgar A. Thurman Charitable Foundation for Children has awarded the Virginia Museum of Natural History (VMNH) a grant of $5,000 in support of the museum’s Year of the Engineer initiative to provide need-based, STEM education programming to area K-6 students during the 2025-26 academic school year.
“Since 2022, The Edgar A. Thurman Charitable Foundation for Children has been a tremendous supporter of the museum’s ongoing efforts to make our STEM programming accessible to students throughout the community,” said VMNH Deputy Director Ryan Barber. “Because of this funding, area school teachers will be eligible to register their classes for educational programming offered by the museum and have all associated programming fees waived. Additionally, eligible homeschool families can apply to receive scholarships that will cover the registration fees for the museum’s programming that is specifically designed for homeschool students.”
The museum determines eligibility for need-based education scholarships based on the enrollment of students in free or reduced lunch programs within corresponding school districts. Requests for scholarships will open in the coming weeks and be offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
“Financial barriers can sometimes be a deterrent to teachers who would like to provide their students with the unique educational programming that the museum provides,” said VMNH Education Manager Christy Deatherage. “This grant will play a significant role in helping eliminate those barriers and will allow us to offer our programming to students who may otherwise not have the opportunity to participate in a museum education experience.”
The museum offers a wide variety of educational programs designed for K-12 students that can be delivered inside the museum’s classrooms, inside school classrooms, or through virtual learning. All programs are correlated to state and national standards of learning, and teachers can select from pre-developed programs, or request a program that is tailored to specific class needs.
Additionally, the museum offers programming specifically designed for homeschool students, including the popular Homeschool Science & Engineering Academy. Through the funding provided by The Edgar A. Thurman Charitable Foundation for Children, qualifying homeschool families can apply for scholarships to cover the cost of the programming.
In addition to supporting opportunities for schools and homeschool families, funding provided by The Edgar A. Thurman Charitable Foundation for Children will allow the museum to continue working closely with community partners, such as MHC After 3, the Martinsville-Henry County Family YMCA, and the Boys & Girls Club of the Blue Ridge to deliver after-school and summer programming.
“The museum has partnered with area non-profit organizations to provide their students and participants with a wide variety of after-school and summer programs for many years now,” said Deatherage. “These partnerships wouldn’t be able to continue each year without the generous funding of our supporters, like The Edgar A. Thurman Charitable Foundation for Children.”
To learn more about the museum’s educational offerings, visit www.vmnh.net.
