Summer Program Incubator

Applications are now open for the 2025–2026 Incubator cohort.

Application deadline: January 21, 2025

• Incubator activities begin: February 2025
• Incubator participants launch their programs: Summer 2026

Questions? Please email the Consortium's Incubator Committee. We would love to hear from you!

What is it?

The purpose of the Summer Program Incubator is to provide mentorship and assistance to individuals and organizations who want to start new summer programs aligned with the Consortium's mission and vision. The Incubator is free to participants and offers the following benefits:

• One-on-one mentorship by one of the Consortium's member or affiliate programs, with detailed guidance on all aspects of setting up a summer math program (administrative, logistical, pedagogical, philosophical, etc)
• The opportunity to visit one or more Consortium member programs the summer before launching and to attend the Consortium's annual conference
• "The Incubator Seminar": a series of monthly lectures, panels, and Q&A's by Consortium members sharing their expertise
• Access to Consortium resources and community, with many opportunities to ask questions and get advice
• Membership in a cohort of similar programs, to share ideas and experiences
• Introductions to potential funders in this space

Each cohort of participants will join the Incubator for two years, with applications due in January for programs that plan to launch the summer of the following year (~18 months later).

Who is it for?

The eligibility requirements for the Incubator are similar to the criteria for Consortium membership, but somewhat more flexible. If your proposed program fits most but not all of the following criteria, please email us to discuss.

• The Incubator is intended to help start in-person, not-for-profit summer programs (residential or non-residential), at which participants do intensive mathematics with a focus on enrichment rather than remediation or acceleration.
• The ideal Incubator applicant will have already assembled a team of two or more people who are committed to seeing the project through to completion and who plan to be involved with it long-term.
• At least one team member must have a strong background in mathematics and/or extensive experience with math enrichment programs. (The assistance provided by the Incubator is not primarily mathematical in nature: although we can offer some mentorship and support in this area, we rely on participants to bring their own mathematical vision to the project.)
• Incubator participants must commit to making some effort toward diversity, equity and inclusion in their programs and plan to eventually offer financial assistance to students who need it.
• The Incubator is primarily geared toward programs serving middle and high school students; however, programs for elementary school students will also be considered.
• Non-US-based programs may be eligible if we can find a suitable Mentor for them. (Only a few Consortium members and affiliates have experience running programs in other countries.) Note, however, that funding for some Incubator activities may be available to US-based programs only.

Timeline

Below is a tentative timeline for the 2025–2026 Incubator cohort. However, since this is the first year of the Incubator, everything here is subject to change. The first cohort of participants will play a key role in shaping the program for future years.

If you have already started planning a summer math program and your timeline does not align with ours, please apply anyway and we’ll see if we can make it work.

January 2025

• Applications due January 21, 2025

February 2025

• Incubator participants selected. Each participant is matched with a Consortium member or affiliate program that will act as their Mentor for the next two years.
• Participants receive access to all Consortium resources, including a set of introductory materials prepared especially for the Incubator.

Spring 2025

• Incubator participants meet monthly as a cohort. The meetings include presentations or panels led by Consortium members on topics such as advertising, staff recruitment, fundraising, logistics, legal compliance, etc. The monthly meetings are also an opportunity for cohort members to get to know one another, share information, and ask for advice.
• In consultation with their Mentor, each Incubator participant works on developing a clear vision for their program and a concrete plan of action for the coming academic year.

Summer 2025

• Each Incubator participant sends two team members to visit their Mentor's summer program and/or another Consortium program. Funding for these visits is provided by the Consortium.

Fall 2025

• Incubator participants attend the Consortium's annual conference, with funding for travel and housing provided by the Consortium.
• Monthly cohort meetings and regular check-ins with Mentors continue, as each participant begins to implement the plan that they developed the previous spring.

Winter and spring 2026

• Monthly cohort meetings end, since at this stage each participant is likely to be dealing with a different set of challenges. However, participants are invited (and encouraged) to attend the monthly meetings of the next cohort that has just joined the Incubator: the newcomers will have a lot to gain from their experience and advice.
• Mentors and the Consortium's Incubator Committee continue to be available to assist with program preparation as needed.

Summer 2026

• Incubator participants launch their summer programs.
• (Optional) Participants can request for someone from their Mentor program or another Consortium program to visit them during the summer, in order to observe and give feedback.

Fall 2026

• Participants attend the Consortium conference to debrief on their summer and to help support the next Incubator cohort. Funding is again provided by the Consortium.

Contact us

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions regarding the Summer Program Incubator, please email the Consortium's Incubator Committee. We are working hard on designing this new program, and we really want to hear from you!