WASHINGTON, DC – The NEA Foundation is pleased to announce that AISES-Advancing Indigenous People in STEM has been selected as the 2026 recipient of its prestigious Equity Partner Award. The award pays tribute to an organization or individual that exemplifies an outstanding commitment to addressing equity and opportunity gaps in public education.
“We are delighted to honor AISES’ outstanding work to encourage Indigenous students’ pursuit of STEM learning” said Sara A. Sneed, President and CEO of The NEA Foundation. “The NEA Foundation recognizes that AISES’ vision and our country’s need for an increased number of professionals in STEM careers will be best realized when all students have access to relevant and culturally responsive learning opportunities alongside the broader academic and other supports they need to succeed.”
The NEA Foundation believes that a well-resourced and supported public education should be every child’s civil right, and that a strong public education system is the bedrock of a thriving democracy. The Foundation applauds AISES’ efforts to increase the number of Indigenous peoples pursuing STEM studies and careers, both through student supports as well as STEM programs for educators.
The award will be formally presented at the NEA Foundation’s Salute to Excellence in Education gala on February 13, 2026, in Washington, D.C. The annual gala celebrates excellence in public education and recognizes outstanding contributions to advancing educational equity and opportunity.
As part of the award recognition, The NEA Foundation will make a contribution of $5,000 to AISES.
About the Equity Partner Award
The NEA Foundation believes that a well-resourced and supported public education should be every child’s civil right and that justice and equity are fostered when institutions grow in their understanding of implicit and institutional bias and how these wrongs can influence policy, educational practice, and children’s educational experiences and outcomes. The Equity Partner Award honors an individual or organization that shares these values and has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to addressing equity and opportunity gaps in public education. The inaugural NEA Foundation Equity Partner Award was presented in May 2022 to Californians for Justice.
About The NEA Foundation
Informed and inspired by the lived experience of millions of public-school educators, students, and their communities, The NEA Foundation champions the people, policies, and partnerships that are closing educational opportunity gaps across the country, promoting the absolute best in public education. The Foundation invests in educators’ leadership, shared learning, and collaboration; supports partner initiatives advancing educational justice, equity, excellence, and opportunity; and shares improvements in education policy and practice resulting from educators’ and partners’ thought leadership.
