Annette Urso Rickel Foundation
Enriching STEAM education across Florida.
We support inspired students and cultivate talented teachers through scholarships and grants—funding innovative studies and following their impact into the classroom.
We’re funding individual projects and organizations, big and small.
Past recipients include individuals as well as larger organizations. With our support, we hope your STEAM project will have a lasting community impact and demonstrate growth in students of all ages.
Our Mission
The Rickel Foundation identifies and funds projects which involve real-world problem-solving. We believe that joining Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM) can bring creative solutions to the world’s big challenges.
Learn more about STEAM →
Featured Project
Protecting Florida’s coral reef through STEAM
Middle school students in the Science program at Palm Beach Day used a combination of sculpture, design, data analysis, and marine biology to study and problem-solve ways of protecting the coral reef in Florida.
“The Annette Urso Rickel Foundation enabled our school to create a research environment, one where our students could participate in an authentic exploration of innovation and discovery. It was a remarkable opportunity that really proved why this type of teaching method is so necessary for our leaders of tomorrow. We are forever grateful.”Read more about the project →
Community Impact
We are focused on providing solutions to today's concerns through thoughtful, sustainable practices and greater social awareness. We strive to improve our communities by supporting broader participation in educational and environmental concerns.
Interdisciplinary
The STEAM approach encourages divergent thinking and generates new technologies and ideas. With no boundaries between the arts and sciences, active engagement from diverse fields will force change through innovation.
Future Focused
STEAM is the future of student centered, inquiry-based education. The Annette Urso Rickel Foundation aims to equip young people to respond to real-world challenges with creative approaches.
Stewardship in motion
Your path to partnership with the Rickel Foundation.
We guide new and returning applicants through every stage—from eligibility to award management—while keeping reviewers and administrators aligned with the Foundation’s values.
“STEAM education opens doors for young minds to explore, create, and lead. This connects us with partners who share our vision of nurturing the next generation of innovators and problem-solvers.”
Jay Rickel-Finnegan
President, Annette Urso Rickel Foundation
Newsroom
Latest News
Symphony in the Schools: A Year of Growth
The Rickel Foundation is proud to support South Florida Symphony Orchestra’s Symphony in the Schools program, a rapidly growing initiative bringing high-quality music education to students across Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe Counties.
Supporting Literacy and STEM at Spookyville 2025
Spookyville was a hit again this year! Rickel Foundation is proud to sponsor the Literacy Coalition’s Spookyville Project at Yesteryear Village.
STEM Open House at the Cox Science Center and Aquarium
The Cox Science Center and Aquarium, in collaboration with the FAU Stiles-Nicholson STEM Teacher Academy, recently hosted the Annual STEM Open House
Newsletter
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We’re interested in your project.
We believe young people reap enormous benefits from participating in STEAM projects—and that those benefits continue into adulthood. We want to help make more projects like these happen.