ASSET Inc., a Pittsburgh nonprofit that fosters science education in kindergarten through eighth grade, will receive $22.3 million in federal funding to improve science, technology, engineering and mathematics education in Pennsylvania, state officials announced Thursday.

The South Side-based nonprofit is one of two Pennsylvania education organizations -- including Children's Learning Initiative of Philadelphia -- that were awarded the federal government's highly competitive Investing in Innovation Fund, or i3, grants to build upon programs that have shown evidence of success in education achievement, officials said.

"Children's Learning Initiative and ASSET Inc. both have histories of positive impact on Pennsylvania's children," said acting Education Secretary Thomas Gluck.

"We're proud that these organizations have been nationally recognized as leaders in innovative educational programs and will be able to expand their successful programs, and benefit more children, through the i3 fund," he said.

The i3 fund, an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act program, was developed to support local efforts to start or expand innovative, research-based programs with demonstrated success in helping close the achievement gap and improve outcomes for high-need students, officials said.

"We are thrilled to have the opportunity to introduce ASSET's cutting-edge professional development and classroom materials to many more Pennsylvania teachers through the establishment of statewide professional development centers," said Helen Sobehart, executive director of ASSET Inc.

The organization, which trains science and math teachers how to teach the subjects better, plans to use the funds to establish regional professional development centers and satellite sites across the state, said Dr. Sobehart.

"Our goal is to help teachers make science and math learning more hands-on, giving inquiry-based science classes, math training and materials for teachers and students," Dr. Sobehart said.

The organization, she added, plans to target high-need and rural schools, building on the state's "Science: It's Elementary" initiative, a program that was designed and managed by ASSET in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

The two organizations were among 49 selected from nearly 1,700 applicants received throughout the nation in a competition, which was open to school districts, nonprofit organizations and institutions of higher education.

According to state officials, the winning applicants must secure a commitment for a 20 percent private sector match by Sept. 3 in order to receive a share of the federal funds totaling $650 million.

To that end, Dr. Sobehart said, the organization plans to raise $4 million as a match of the federal money for the five-year grant.

There were three categories of the i3 funds application, which included, "scale-up" grants for programs with a strong track record of success, "validation" grants for growing programs, and "development" grants for promising new programs.

"Scale-up" applicants were eligible for up to $50 million, "validation" applications were eligible for up to $30 million, and "development" applications were eligible for up to $5 million. ASSET qualified for a "validation" grant.

Some of the school districts and communities that will benefit from the i3 funds include Homestead, Carnegie, Easton, Reading, Bethlehem, East Stroudsburg, Wrightsville, Erie, Philadelphia and Harrisburg, according to state officials.

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