Funders & Partnerships
SteamHead is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs on grants, donations, and volunteer time — here's how to partner with us or give directly.
Impact at a Glance
2011 — recognized as a 501(c)(3) public charity in California in 2018.
Roughly 1,000 elementary, ~30 middle school, 6 high school, and ~20 university students in direct contact each year — plus an estimated 2,000+ more reached indirectly through exhibitions, social media, runway events, and online tutorials.
San Francisco Unified and Tucson Unified school districts year-round, plus 3–4 additional schools or learning communities worldwide each year for individual projects.
Nine, and counting: the US, China, Bhutan, Brazil, Germany, Canada, the UK, Sri Lanka, and Italy.
Held in Calgary, San Marcos, Shenzhen, Tucson, and San Francisco, going back to 2018.
A growing library documenting each year's runway shows and student work — browse them on The Shelf.
How Funding Works at SteamHead
We don't run a menu of sponsorship tiers with fixed minimums. Most funding and partnership conversations start with an invitation: we visit an education community over a summer or winter break, and while we're there we discuss whether a longer-term program would be valuable for that community. Funding requests are handled project by project, shaped around what each community actually needs.
We're happy to meet with potential funders and partners and find ways to work together that match our capacity as a small, volunteer-run organization — there's no fixed minimum grant or donation size for a formal partnership. Reach out and we'll have a conversation.
How to Get Involved
Donate. Donations of any amount are welcome and go directly toward our mission of making hands-on, project-based STEAM education more accessible. As a registered 501(c)(3), donations to SteamHead are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law — see our Nonprofit Status page to verify our standing directly with the IRS.
Fund a program. If you'd like to support a specific program — MakeFashion Edu, Neighborhood Earth, System Upgrade, or a school partnership like ours with SFUSD — tell us about it and we'll talk through what's realistic.
Invite us. SteamHead goes into communities where it's invited. If you're an educator, school, or community organization curious whether a SteamHead program would fit, that's exactly the kind of conversation we want to have.
Get in Touch
James Simpson handles funding and partnership inquiries directly: james@steamhead.space.