There is widespread agreement that the early years matter for growing the STEM talent pipeline. In light of this consensus, it is surprising to learn that many corporations report difficulty in making the business case for investment in those years. In fact, we estimate that only 8-13% of U.S. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) spending targets K-12 education. This paper sets out to equip corporations to make their business case for K-8 STEM investment by:

1. Summarizing the key research points that highlight the importance of investment in the early years for building the STEM talent pipeline
2. Offering a framework for decision making about where in the K-12 pipeline to invest
3. Describing the types of investments—both financial and human capital—in K-8 STEM that are available to corporate funders