YouTube and Google.org Commit $2.5 Million to Expand Class CrunchLabs' Free Science Curriculum

Grant builds on the recent launch of the Class CrunchLabs YouTube channel, deepening support for free, standards-aligned science education nationwide

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, on World Teachers' Day, Class CrunchLabs, the free STEM education program founded by Mark Rober, announced a $2.5 million grant from YouTube and Google.org. The funding builds on the recent launch of the Class CrunchLabs YouTube channel, giving the program new resources to expand access, grow educator support, and translate its curriculum into more languages for classrooms worldwide.

Built in partnership with the National Science Teaching Association, Class CrunchLabs' standards-aligned curriculum will span grades 3 through 8 and is now live in 34 languages on the Class CrunchLabs YouTube channel, with additional units uploaded on a rolling basis. The new channel gives teachers a free, ready-to-use way to bring Mark Rober's hands-on science storytelling directly into their classrooms, no new tools or budget required.

Each unit pairs videos hosted by Rober, "Science Bob" Pflugfelder, special guests, and student co-hosts with hands-on activities, teacher guides, assessments, and other materials, covering topics from electric and magnetic forces to kinetic and thermal energy and more, all designed for the National Generation Science Standards (NGSS). In "Carnival of Collisions," one of the units already live on the channel, students use hands-on challenges to investigate the physics behind rigged carnival games, then turn the tables by designing, testing, and pitching cleverly engineered games of their own.

"The best part of building Class CrunchLabs has been hearing from teachers that their students are genuinely excited for science class and asking for more. We believe great science learning should grab kids’ attention and then get them building, experimenting, investigating, and figuring things out for themselves. With support from YouTube and Google.org, we can bring that kind of science learning to even more students around the world, in more languages, and keep it completely free for teachers and families," said Tara Graham, Executive Director of Class CrunchLabs.

The grant will fund new educator resources, expanded translations, research, and continued content production for Class CrunchLabs, helping the program build on the momentum of its recent YouTube launch.

“For years, Mark Rober has been the internet's favorite science teacher, and now he is bringing that same magic directly to classrooms. At YouTube, we are incredibly proud to support Mark on this massive labor of love, providing the platform to help him scale his hands-on, standards-aligned curriculum to teachers and students everywhere," said Katie Kurtz, YouTube's Global Head of Youth and Learning.

Learn more about Class CrunchLabs at classcrunchlabs.org, and visit crunchlabs.org to learn about the Foundation and how to support our mission.

About the CrunchLabs.org Foundation

The CrunchLabs.org Foundation is a nonprofit organization working to make science class irresistible for every student. Its flagship initiative, Class CrunchLabs, is a free, comprehensive science curriculum for grades 3–8 that combines compelling video storytelling with hands-on challenges that get students building, experimenting, investigating, and figuring things out for themselves. By making high-quality curriculum and resources freely available, the Foundation aims to bring joyful, rigorous science learning to students and educators in classrooms and communities around the world.