ACS Chemistry Festival

The ACS Chemistry Festival program supports community engagement events. At Chemistry Festivals, the role of chemistry in daily life is emphasized by volunteers through hands-on activities facilitated for the general public. These events are often hosted as part of the campaigns National Chemistry Week and Chemists Celebrate Earth Week, but can happen anytime during the year.

Grants of up to $3,000 USD are available to volunteers outside the United States and Puerto Rico to support these events. Grant winners have included chemical societies, ACS International Chemical Sciences Chapters, ACS International Student Chapters, and other volunteers.

Strengthen your application by participating in the free, on-demand Outreach Training Program. This is open to everyone, ACS membership not required.

ACS Chemistry Festival logo

History

The “Festival de Química” was started in Puerto Rico in 2005 by Dr. Ingrid Montes. The first goal of the program was to share the joy of chemistry with native Spanish speaking audiences within the U.S. The program quickly spread to Latin America, and then to Asia, Africa, and Europe.

Exemplary Chemistry Festivals are held in Puerto Rico twice a year as part of celebrations for National Chemistry Week and Chemists Celebrate Earth Week.

In 2010, the Chemistry Festival became an official ACS Program. In 2016, the Festival Training Institute was launched to spread the Chemistry Festival even farther around the globe. ACS International Chemical Sciences Chapters, International Student Chapters, other chemical societies are invited to send delegations of two to these regional training events to prepare them to host a Chemistry Festival within the year. Events are hosted by FTI alumni and locations are chosen through a competitive application process.

Get Involved



By The Numbers

Impact of Grants Outside the US Since 2015
GrantsVolunteersParticipants
76
> 2,706> 44,000

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Contact the ACS Office of Science Outreach
outreach@acs.org