Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Resources
for STEM in Minnesota

The vision of the Minnesota Academy of Science (MAS) is “a future where Minnesotans of all backgrounds have opportunities to engage in the STEM practices that will benefit their community, education, and career”. 

There is no one solution that can accomplish this vision, rather, we must work together as scientific and educational communities, listening, learning, and supporting each other. Below, you will find our compiled list of many organizations that are working to ensure that all Minnesotans can succeed in STEM learning, educational opportunities, and careers!

This resource page refers to organizations that align with the definitions of diversity (the condition of having or being composed of differing elements), equity (fairness or justice in the way people are treated), inclusion (the state of being included) as defined by the 2025 Merriam-Webster online dictionary. MAS has no knowledge of if the organizations mentioned on this page engage in DEI events or trainings.

Advocacy groups and resources

k-12 Educational resources

Post-secondary educational resources

STEM Professionals

Increasing the College Completion of Underrepresented Students in STEM (2016) download report from the Minnesota Office of Higher Education

Code.org State of Computer Science Report
This annual report on K-12 computer science in the United States provides an update on national and state-level computer science education policy, including policy trends, maps, state summaries, and implementation data.

Minnesota Education Equity Partnership
Minnesota Education Equity Partnership uses a race equity lens to transform educational institutions, organizations, and leaders to ensure that students of color and American Indian students achieve full academic and leadership success.

Racial Equity Resource Directory, MN Compass
A searchable directory of racial equity programs and training providers that can help your organization combat racism and increase cultural competence.

Status of Women and Girls+ in Minnesota, University of Minnesota Humphrey School’s Center on Women, Gender & Public Policy and the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota
The project represents a unique approach to research by using a gender-race-place-equity lens. Through the research, a baseline is provided for measuring where to apply needed interventions and benchmark the continued progress on the road to economic, political and social equality for all women and girls in Minnesota.

STEM in Minnesota, Minnesota Compass
See how Minnesota is performing across critical components of comprehensive STEM growth: identity, achievement, and interest.

The Coalition to Increase Teachers of Color and American Indian Teachers in Minnesota
Unites individuals, organizations and communities concerned about the lack of racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity in the Minnesota teaching force.

Asian Media Access
A nonprofit and comprehensive community media arts education agency supporting creative solutions for problems facing Asian American & Pacific Islander communities through education, production, information technology, and community organizing.

Aspirations in Computing
The Minnesota Aspirations in Computing (MnAiC) program is dedicated to inspiring young women in high school, grades 9-12. This program provides awards, offers hands-on tech experiences, career exploration and job shadowing, personalized mentorship, professional development, college scholarships, and paid internships.

Black Data Processing Associates, Twin Cities Chapter
Free Minnesota Student Technology Programs help empower minority students for careers in the Information Technology industry.

Code Savvy
Code Savvy’s focus is the development of inclusive opportunities in computer science. Their mission is to interrupt and counteract existing gender, racial, and socioeconomic gaps in computing by equipping youth and educators with the knowledge, skills, and support to create with technology.

CORExperience, University of Minnesota
The Community Outreach, Retention, and Engagement (CORE) Program is a holistic, culturally relevant program that connects students and families to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) ecosystem.

Fostering Opportunities and Relationships in STEM Education (FORSE)
Through our FORSE program, the Minnesota Academy of Science provides STEM learning experiences for students from populations traditionally underrepresented in STEM.

Girls Dream Code
Girls Dream Code is a Twin Cities non-profit aiming to empower young minority and low-income girls to pursue an interest in technology by providing free tech workshops, events, and resources. Their mission is “to promote opportunities in technology, decrease the gender and diversity gap in tech, increase inclusivity, and create a safe space for young girls to feel comfortable and excel in all that they do”.

Girls Inc. Eureka! Program
The Girls Inc. Eureka! program is for Twin Cities girls to explore career interests in STEM and prepare for post-secondary education.

Kitty Anderson Youth Science Center
Provides out-of-school programming for hundreds of underserved youth with the goals of building leadership skills, career readiness, and fostering confidence and appreciation of STEM. Youth start in the program as service learning volunteers in 7th grade, and can progress to paid positions during high school and after graduation as alumni interns.

Minnesota Science Teacher’s Association (MNSTA) Equity in Science Education Resources
MnSTA’s collected science links promoting equity, inclusion, and accessibility in science education.

Minnesota State Center for Engineering Excellence
Offers free training and Explore Engineering Kits for educators serving areas with high free and reduced lunch populations in the greater St. Paul / Minneapolis area.

Minnesota STEM Partnership
Providing positive STEM education experiences to individuals as they develop their STEM Identity through a variety of educational programs, internships, and volunteer opportunities.

Native Skywatch
The Native Skywatchers initiative seeks to remember and revitalize indigenous star and earth knowledge. The overarching goal of Native Skywatchers is to communicate the knowledge that indigenous people traditionally practiced a sustainable way of living and sustainable engineering through a living and participatory relationship with the above and below, sky and earth. They have many print and digital resources.

PAGE
PAGE is the Science Museum of Minnesota’s flagship program for leaders in K-12 education. Dedicated to supporting diversity, promoting inclusion, increasing access, and achieving equity in educational systems, PAGE is designed to support leaders in bringing about meaningful and lasting institutional change toward greater equity and inclusion within schools and across districts.

SciMathMN
SciMathMN brings together a statewide STEM community to promote equitable and accessible STEM learning and workforce participation, empower lifelong learning, and inspire informed community action.

Social Justice in the Science Classroom
Resources from the National Science Teaching Association, asserting that “science education can be used to support more just, sustainable, and culturally thriving futures—especially for those who have historically been and continue to be disenfranchised from science”. Of special interest are:
Practice Brief 10: Teaching STEM In Ways that Respect and Build Upon Indigenous Peoples' Rights
Practice Brief 15: How can we promote equity in science education?
Practice Brief 55: Why it is crucial to make cultural diversity visible in STEM education
Practice Brief 67: Focusing Science and Engineering Learning on Justice-Centered Phenomena across PK-12

SPARCS
SPARCS is a Minnesota youth technology and computer science STEM development program for middle and high-school students who are female, genderqueer, or non-binary.

Technovation Girls
Technovation Girls is a global development challenge. In the state of Minnesota, Code Savvy manages the local program for girls and non-binary students across the state.

Association of Computing Machinery for Women, University of Minnesota chapter

Association of Multicultural Scientists (AMS), University of Minnesota
AMS provides a space for socialization/networking, professional development opportunities, and outreach events within the community of underrepresented persons in STEM at UMN.

Council for the Advancement of Underrepresented Scientists and Engineers, University of Minnesota
Dedicated to the recruitment, retention, and professional development of graduate students of color and first generation college students within the College of Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.

Increasing Diversity in Environmental Careers
The Increasing Diversity in Environmental Careers (IDEC) program provides a unique college-to-careers pathway for underrepresented STEM college students, specifically, women, racial and ethnic minorities, or individuals with disabilities, who want to pursue a career in environmental and natural resources fields. Students receive a fellowship, mentorship, and paid internship during their academic journey in Minnesota.

North Star STEM Alliance
Minnesota section of an initiative funded by the National Science Foundation intended to double the number of underrepresented students receiving baccalaureate degrees in STEM.

MnDOT’s Seeds Student Worker Program
MnDOT's Seeds Program provides paid college-level student worker positions to highly motivated minority or economically disadvantaged college students, students who are recently separated veterans, students with disabilities or female students in STEM or non-tradition fields of study.

National Society of Black Engineers, University of Minnesota Chapter
NSBE's mission is to increase the number of Black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally, and positively impact the community. 

Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), University of Minnesota Student Chapter
SACNAS is an inclusive organization dedicated to fostering the success of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans, from college students to professionals, in attaining advanced degrees, careers, and positions of leadership in STEM.

Women in Computing Club, University of Minnesota

Women in Engineering, University of Minnesota branch

Black Data Processing Associates, Twin Cities Chapter
BDPA was created to bring underrepresented minorities together working in the information technology and computer science field for the purpose of professional development and academic enrichment.

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access, Leadership (IDEAL) Professional Development at the Science Museum of Minnesota
The Science Museum of Minnesota’s IDEAL Center helps professionals who are serious about equity and inclusion see their world differently and have the abilities, strategies and will to make it more just.

National Association of Black Accountants, Minneapolis/St. Paul Chapter
The National Association of Black Accountants is a membership association dedicated to bridging the opportunity gap for black professionals in the accounting, finance and related professions.

National Black Nurses Association, Minnesota Chapter
The National Black Nurses Association serves as the professional voice for over 200,000 African American registered nurses.

Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers
The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers’ vision is “to change lives by empowering our local Hispanic community to realize its fullest potential and impact the Twin Cities through STEM awareness, access, support and development”. ​

Society of Women Engineers, Minnesota Section
Society of Women Engineers-Minnesota is a STEM leadership and networking resource, with opportunities to engage in Outreach, Professional Development, and Mentoring in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and Greater Minnesota.

Women Leading in Technology
Women Leading in Technology (WLiT) seeks to promote, educate,nd empower women in technology across Minnesota.

Most recently updated in February of 2025. Originally published July 2020.