What STEM Library Lab does

STEM Library Lab is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2016 and headquartered in Metairie, Louisiana, that provides K-12 STEM education support to teachers and schools in the Greater New Orleans region. The organization operates multiple interconnected programs: an Equipment Lending Co-op that provides free or premium-membership access to STEM equipment and curriculum kits (aligned with Louisiana Student Standards for Science); a Service Learning Program that awarded $366,186 in grants to 112 teacher projects in 2024-2025 connecting classroom curriculum to community service; a Teacher Free-Store distributing free classroom supplies; an EdOpportunities Database (edopportunities.org) aggregating regional educational resources; and Professional Development workshops including a 9-session LSSS-aligned instruction series. The organization has placed over 30,687 STEM equipment loans historically and currently serves 1,143 registered teachers and 150+ schools across Louisiana and Mississippi.

The underlying technology is minimal: the Equipment Lending Co-op uses MyTurn for inventory management, while scheduling, forms, and document sharing rely on Calendly, 123FormBuilder, and Google Drive. There is no proprietary technology platform — the differentiation is operational and community-based rather than technological. The organization is the only K-12 STEM equipment lending library in the Greater New Orleans area, with a dense network of community partners (LSU Coastal Roots, CRCL, Woodlands Conservancy, Tulane University, and others) that enable hands-on service-learning projects.

The business model is a hybrid of philanthropic donations and earned revenue. Premium School Memberships are priced at $2,000+/year (annual billing) and include unlimited borrowing, weekly delivery, and curriculum kit lending. Free membership is available to all individual teachers. The majority of funding comes from foundation grants (notably the Joe W. and Dorothy Dorsett Brown Foundation), recurring monthly donations (the 'Keep the Lights On' program at $10-$100/month tiers), one-time donations, and a current $450,000 Capital Campaign for facility renovation. The 10-person staff is led by co-founders Todd Wackerman (Executive Director, former physics teacher) and Sarah Cosse (Board Secretary), with a 9-member board that is 80% female and 60% BIPOC.

Name

STEM Library Lab

Legal name

STEM Library Lab

Website

https://stemlibrarylab.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

STEM Library Lab is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2016 in Metairie, Louisiana, providing K-12 STEM equipment lending, service learning grants, professional development, and free classroom supplies to teachers and schools across the Greater New Orleans region and Mississippi.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 STEM Education Resource Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hands-on Science Exploration & Experiments (Lab Kits, Science Clubs) (EDAMABAA), STEM Teacher Tools, Curriculum & Lesson Planning Platforms (EDAFANAK), Science & STEM Lab Equipment & Supplies (Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Makerspaces) (EDAEAIAC)

Keywords

• STEM education services
• Equipment lending library
• Teacher professional development
• Service learning programs
• K-12 classroom resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Metairie

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Philanthropic Support: Primary revenue source from individual donors, recurring donors, and major foundation grants including Joe W. and Dorothy Dorsett Brown Foundation. Capital campaign also underway for facility renovation.
2. Premium School Memberships: Schools pay $2,000+ annually for premium membership benefits including unlimited borrowing, weekly delivery, and curriculum kit lending.
3. Capital Campaign Donations: Renovation for Innovation campaign seeking $450,000 for STEM Ecosystem Hub facility upgrades, currently at 63% of goal ($281,385 raised).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

STEM Library Lab is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs an equipment lending library giving K-12 teachers free or premium-membership access to STEM equipment, curriculum kits (Amplify, PhD Science, OpenSciEd, Mystery Science), and classroom resources. It also awards Service Learning grants that link classroom instruction to community service projects through a network of partners, distributes free classroom supplies through a Teacher Free-Store, hosts Professional Development workshops aligned to Louisiana science standards, and maintains the EdOpportunities Database of community educational resources for the Greater New Orleans region.

Product overview

STEM Library Lab operates as a nonprofit educational resource platform offering multiple interconnected programs serving K-12 teachers in the Greater New Orleans region. The core offerings include the Equipment Lending Co-op for STEM equipment borrowing, the Service Learning Program for grant-funded community service projects, the Teacher Free-Store for free classroom supplies, and the EdOpportunities Database for resource discovery. Additional offerings include Professional Development workshops, a Copy/Print Center, and Rental Space. The organization is currently running a Capital Campaign (Renovation for Innovation) to expand its physical facility. Most programs are free to qualifying teachers, with a Premium Membership option for the Equipment Lending Co-op providing enhanced services including unlimited borrowing and school delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Teacher Free-Store: A space for teachers to obtain classroom and office supplies at no cost.
• EdOpportunities Database
• Equipment Lending Co-op
• Keep the Lights On

Products and services

• Equipment Lending Co-op
• Service Learning Program
• Teacher Free-Store
• EdOpportunities Database

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,143 teachers served in 2025-2026
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LSU Coastal RootscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReady-to-Go service learning partner. Students grow native Louisiana plants in school-based nurseries and participate in habitat restoration planting. Grade level 8-12, science focus.
• Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReady-to-Go partner offering field trips to Restoration Headquarters in Violet, LA. Students learn about coastal land loss while bagging oyster shells for reef construction. Grades 8-12.
• Woodlands ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReady-to-Go partner for field trips to Belle Chasse, LA. Students learn about forested wetlands' role in storm mitigation and plant native trees. Grades 6-12.
• Green Light New OrleanscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Rain Barrel Service Learning Program. Green Light repurposes rain barrels to combat erosion and street flooding. Students participate in the process. Available to schools within Orleans, St Bernard, and most of Jefferson Parish.
• Common Ground ReliefcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReady-to-Go partner in New Orleans. Students learn about coastal land loss and participate in restoration activities including removing invasive species, maintaining trees, and planting. Grades 5-12.
• M.E.S.S. Lab (Math, English, Social Studies, Science)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with The Green Project combining math, English, social studies and science in a paint recycling learning lab. Students experience paint recycling process. Grades 4-12.
• LOOP NOLAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReady-to-Go partner for water system education. Students learn about invasive species and pollution, then engage in removal activities on land or via canoe. Grades 7-12.
• Lantern LightcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReady-to-Go partner addressing homelessness. Students study homelessness in classroom, visit Lantern Light, and organize donation drives. Grades K-12 with math, financial literacy, and social studies alignment.
• Kenner PlanetariumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIncentive partner offering complimentary group reservations for Service Learning awardee groups. Valid October 2025 - April 2026.
• The National WWII MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIncentive partner offering complimentary reservations for Service Learning awardee groups. Valid October 2025 - April 2026. Board member Sarah Sievert works at the museum.
• Infinity Science CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIncentive partner offering complimentary reservation requests for Service Learning awardee groups.
• Tulane University School of Science and EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for K-12 STEM programs including GiST (Girls in STEM at Tulane) and BATS (Boys At Tulane in STEM). Michelle Sanchez, Director of Tulane's Center for K-12 STEM Education, serves on STEM Library Lab's board.
• Greater New Orleans Science & Engineering FairminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization supporting STEM education in the region.
• Verite NewsminorOthersLocal news outlet that covered Sci High students building solar generators through STEM Library Lab programs in November 2025.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Ward's Science: Ward's Science supplies science lab equipment, kits, and consumables to schools and educators. It is comparable to STEM Library Lab's Equipment Lending Co-op in product category but is a paid commercial supplier rather than a free membership-based lending library.
• Lakeshore Learning: Lakeshore Learning is a commercial retailer and curriculum supplier of STEM, science, and classroom materials including lab kits. It serves the same K-12 STEM equipment market as STEM Library Lab but as a paid retailer rather than a free lending library.
• School Specialty: School Specialty is a large commercial distributor of classroom supplies and science lab equipment to K-12 schools. It overlaps with STEM Library Lab's equipment-lending and classroom-supply missions but operates as a paid distributor rather than a nonprofit lending library.

Direct peers

• AdoptAClassroom: AdoptAClassroom is a nonprofit that distributes funds directly to K-12 teachers for classroom supplies. It mirrors STEM Library Lab's mission of bridging the resource gap for under-resourced schools and serves a similar teacher-and-school customer base.
• DonorsChoose: DonorsChoose is a nonprofit crowdfunding platform that lets teachers post project requests for classroom materials. Like STEM Library Lab, it connects K-12 teachers with resources they cannot afford individually, and it operates on a donation-driven model with no direct cost to teachers.
• First Book: First Book is a nonprofit that provides affordable books and educational resources to classrooms and programs serving low-income children. It targets the same under-resourced-school segment as STEM Library Lab and operates through a distribution model of donated and discounted materials.

Others

• Code.org: Code.org is a nonprofit focused on expanding access to computer science education in K-12 schools. It is comparable to STEM Library Lab through its STEM-equity mission and K-12 teacher support, but its delivery model is curriculum and digital tools rather than physical equipment lending.
• 4-H (National 4-H Council): 4-H is a national youth development organization that delivers STEM, agriculture, and civic engagement programming in partnership with schools and communities. It is comparable to STEM Library Lab through its STEM-education and school-partnership model, although it operates at vastly larger scale and through extension agents rather than a lending library.

Emerging players

• Citizen Schools: Citizen Schools is a nonprofit that provides STEM enrichment and career-focused programming to middle-school students in under-resourced schools. It shares STEM Library Lab's focus on equity and on enriching classroom learning for low-income students, but delivers programming rather than equipment lending.
• Project Lead the Way: Project Lead the Way provides STEM curriculum and teacher professional development for K-12 schools. It overlaps with STEM Library Lab's curriculum-aligned kits and Communities of Practice workshops, with a stronger curriculum-and-PD product focus and broader national reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCDoUF7GK9B_Nd_jikzljwrA
• Facebookfacebook.com/STEMLibraryLab
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stem-library-lab
• Instagraminstagram.com/stemlibrarylab
• Pinterestpinterest.com/stemlibrarylab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

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 STEM Library Lab