The Franklin Institute and National Girls Collaborative Project are partnering in a 3-year proposal to the National Science Foundation to nationally scale a program called Leap into Science, which combines hands-on science activities and children's books through partnerships between museums, libraries, and community-based organizations. The program began in Philadelphia through a partnership between The Franklin Institute and the Free Library of Philadelphia, as a way to engage children and families in underserved neighborhoods in science and literacy. In 2011, the program expanded to 10 additional cities across the US to pilot the use of the program resources in diverse locations and populations. Each expansion site consists of multiple institutional partners, including museums, libraries, out-of-school time programs, universities, public television, etc. To date, the program has reached over 85,000 children and adults across the US. The goals of this proposed project are to establish a national infrastructure for engaging museums, libraries, and community-based organizations in science and literacy, and to reach more underserved children and families across the US, primarily targeting urban and rural areas. Our model for national scale-up includes creating state leadership teams, consisting of three members representing relevant fields within the state: 1) Museum partner, 2) Library partner, and 3) NGCP state collaborative partner. More information is attached. If you are interested in being a part of this NSF proposal, please let me know by Monday, October 10, 2016. I will send you a commitment letter template to be returned to me by October 17, 2016. Being listed in the proposal does not obligate you to participate if the project is funded. If funded, you will then have an opportunity to reassess your interest. Feel free to send along any questions you may have. Karen Karen Peterson, Chief Executive Officer The National Girls Collaborative www.ngcproject.org<http://www.ngcproject.org> @ngcproject