You may have learned by now that STARBASE One recently closed its doors to program operations. This closure is not only impacting your community’s site but all 90 programs across the United States, Puerto Rico, and Guam, including the additional two Michigan sites in Alpena and Battle Creek. At this time, we do not know if this is a temporary or permanent closure.

​

This news is disheartening to all of us. STARBASE One is the first site in the nation. It originated at Selfridge in 1991 under a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, proudly serving our community as a leader in STEM education for 34 years. Please know that we are working diligently to remain afloat and continue providing an empowering educational opportunity that inspires generations of children to come.

​

Why did this happen?

As the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate navigated the federal government's funding path for fiscal year 2025, they disagreed on how much to allocate for the 90 STARBASE locations. The House proposed $60 million; the Senate proposed $20 million. As a result of this disparity, the DoD comptroller (the financial reporting and accounting office) acted conservatively and only released $20 million for all STARBASE locations during two short-term spending bills, creating a shortfall.

​

Didn’t Congress pass a continuing resolution to fund the government through the end of the fiscal year (September 30, 2025)? Won’t this provide funding for STARBASE?

There is currently a continuing resolution to fund government programs through the end of the fiscal year. Under normal circumstances, STARBASE would receive the same funding level as the previous fiscal year: $53 million. Unfortunately, we do not know if STARBASE will receive its remaining balance of $33 million. We have to wait for notification from the Department of Defense. STARBASE may receive none of the funding, all of it, or just a portion. We won’t know when we can reopen our doors until we receive this funding determination. ​

​

What can you do?

STARBASE, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that operates STARBASE One at Selfridge Air National Guard Base. We need your help to keep our mission alive. While we are committed to reopening and continuing to inspire young minds in STEM, we rely on your support to sustain our programs during this time. Every contribution makes a difference, and your donation can help us reopen sooner and fill our classrooms with students excited to learn. (Your contributions may be tax deductible. These donations go directly to the non-profit, not the federal government.)