South Metro-Salem | STEM Partnership

What South Metro-Salem | STEM Partnership does

South Metro-Salem STEM Partnership (SMSP) is a non-profit Regional STEM Hub founded in 2014 and hosted by Oregon Institute of Technology at its Wilsonville, Oregon campus. Operating with 8 employees, SMSP is one of Oregon's 13 Regional STEM Hubs and functions as a connective organization between K-12 educators, students, school districts, community colleges, workforce partners, and industry across the South Metro-Salem region. Its mission centers on equipping educators and exposing students to STEM through professional development, career-connected learning, and resource distribution rather than commercial product sales.

The organization's core programs include the CESD STEAM Lending Library (launched 2023 with GEER Computer Science Grant funding, expanded operationally in 2024-25 with the MyTurn lending platform and CESD Courier delivery integration), Educator Externships that place teachers in week-long industry site tours across Manufacturing, Tech, and Construction sectors, Oregon STEM Week coordination (statewide, May 2-10, 2026), and a comprehensive suite of Educator Professional Development programs covering science (Patterns Approach, HHMI BioInteractive), math (Oregon Math Leaders Network, Building Thinking Classrooms), technology training, and AI in education workshops. The technology backbone is modest: a lending platform (MyTurn) integrated with a physical courier delivery system, rather than a proprietary software product.

SMSP's business model is grant-funded public-sector delivery. Revenue sources include the GEER Computer Science Grant (federal, one-time capital infusion), the WRAP Grant from Oregon Department of Education (supporting $50/hour stipends for participating educators in High School Science for All programs), and in-kind institutional support from Oregon Tech. Programs and resources are offered at no cost to K-12 educators, with some stipends and paid professional development opportunities. There are no commercial customers, no pricing model, and no revenue disclosure — consistent with a publicly funded educational partnership. Notable external validation includes the 2024 U.S. Department of Education Engage Every Student Recognition Program Champion designation, the only Oregon organization so recognized.

Name

South Metro-Salem | STEM Partnership

Legal name

South Metro-Salem STEM Partnership

Website

https://smsp-stem.oit.edu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

South Metro-Salem STEM Partnership is a non-profit Regional STEM Hub hosted by Oregon Institute of Technology, delivering K-12 STEAM lending resources, educator professional development, and career-connected learning programs across Oregon's South Metro-Salem region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 STEM Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

STEM Lab Management & Classroom Device Integration Platforms (EDAFANAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAG), Math & STEM Learning Technology (incl. Coding/Robotics Platforms) (EDAJAMAG)

Keywords

• K-12 STEM education
• Educator professional development
• STEAM lending library
• Regional STEM hub
• Career connected learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Wilsonville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Publicly funded organization supported by grants including the GEER Computer Science Grant for STEAM Lending Library equipment acquisition and WRAP Grant from Oregon Department of Education for educator professional development programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

South Metro-Salem STEM Partnership (SMSP) coordinates STEM education programs for K-12 educators and students across Oregon's South Metro-Salem region as one of Oregon's 13 Regional STEM Hubs hosted by Oregon Institute of Technology. Core offerings include the CESD STEAM Lending Library providing robotics and coding equipment to classrooms, Educator Externships immersing teachers in industry settings, statewide Oregon STEM Week celebrations, and comprehensive educator professional development workshops in science, math, and technology.

Product overview

South Metro-Salem STEM Partnership (SMSP) is an educational partnership organization that provides a portfolio of STEM-focused programs and resources, rather than a unified software product. The organization operates as a Regional STEM Hub hosted by Oregon Institute of Technology, offering Educator Externships, the CESD STEAM Lending Library, Oregon STEM Week celebrations, professional development for educators, a STEM Hub Network, and Career-Connected Learning resources. These programs work together to unite communities through STEM education and empower Oregon's future workforce.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• U.S. Department of Education Engage Every Student Recognition Program Champion 2024 - only Oregon organization recognized

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Clackamas Education Service District (CESD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership to launch and operate the CESD STEAM Lending Library initiative providing robotics and coding equipment to K-12 classrooms. CESD provides courier delivery system and leadership team for lesson plan development and delivery coordination.
• Oregon Institute of Technology (Oregon Tech)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosting institution for South Metro-Salem STEM Partnership. Provides Portland Metro Campus facilities and institutional support for STEM Hub operations.
• Oregon's 13 Regional STEM HubscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide network of regional STEM hubs collaborating on Oregon STEM Week and shared STEM education initiatives across Oregon.
• Rainbow Dance TheaterminorOthersCommunity partner providing arts integration opportunities in STEM education programming.
• Farmworker Housing Development CorpminorOthersCommunity partner supporting underserved populations through STEM education access.
• Todos JuntoscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEarly learning program partner recognized by U.S. Department of Education. Joint initiative with Canby, Estacada, and Molalla School Districts serving English Learners and underrepresented students.
• Oregon MESAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMathematics Engineering Science Achievement program partner supporting underrepresented students in STEM college readiness.
• Northwest Earth and Space Sciences Pathways (NESSP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner supporting NASA-aligned space science and astronomy education programs for K-12 students.
• Willamette Education Service District (WESD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional education service district partner serving Salem/Willamette Valley area. Coordinates Career Control Tower industry engagement program.
• Clackamas Community CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHigher education partner hosting educator training programs and supporting career-connected learning pathways.
• Clackamas Workforce PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkforce development partner supporting youth emerging worker programs and industry connections.
• Associated General Contractors (AGC) of OregoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinates Educator Externship program providing industry site tours across Manufacturing, Tech, and Construction sectors. Supported 30+ educators in 2024 externship week.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Code.org: National nonprofit expanding K-12 computer science access. Broad incumbent peer given overlapping focus on K-12 coding education, educator professional development, and equitable access to computer science curriculum.
• FIRST Robotics: National K-12 robotics and STEM engagement organization. Broad incumbent peer given overlapping content focus (robotics, coding) and K-12 audience, though FIRST operates at a national scale with a competition-based model.
• MESA (Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement): National STEM college-readiness program operating across multiple states. Broad incumbent peer given similar mission of supporting underrepresented students in STEM, though MESA operates at national scale rather than as a regional hub.

Direct peers

• Clackamas Education Service District: Core SMSP partner delivering the STEAM Lending Library; provides courier, leadership, and educator-facing STEM services across North Clackamas County. Direct peer as a regional education service provider with overlapping K-12 STEM delivery function.
• Oregon MESA: Oregon-based STEM college-readiness program for underrepresented students. Peer given overlapping mission of STEM access and equity, similar K-12 audience, and shared funding ecosystem (Oregon Department of Education).
• Portland Metro STEM Partnership: Another Oregon Regional STEM Hub operating in the Portland metro area with a similar model of educator professional development, industry partnerships, and K-12 STEM program delivery. Direct peer as both are state-funded STEM Hubs under the same statewide network.
• Todos Juntos: Early learning program partner of SMSP; co-recognized with SMSP for the U.S. DOE 2024 Engage Every Student Champion award. Direct peer given collaborative program delivery and shared focus on underserved K-12 populations in Oregon.
• Willamette Education Service District: Regional education service district partner of SMSP serving the Salem/Willamette Valley area and coordinating the Career Control Tower program. Direct peer given co-delivery of STEM and career-connected learning services to K-12 schools.
• Gorge STEM: Oregon Regional STEM Hub serving the Columbia Gorge region; co-organizes Oregon STEM Week with SMSP. Direct peer given shared statewide STEM Hub mission, partner structure, and target audience of K-12 educators and students.
• Northwest Earth and Space Sciences Pathways (NESSP): NASA-aligned STEM education partner delivering space science and astronomy programs to K-12 students in the Pacific Northwest. Direct peer given partnership-based STEM content delivery to similar K-12 audiences.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=t00428Jscpg&t=187s
• Facebookfacebook.com/SMSSTEMPartnership
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/smsp-stem

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about South Metro-Salem | STEM Partnership