Sponsor Spotlight: The Stuller Family Foundation

As a nonprofit, the National Inventors Hall of Fame^® relies on the support of sponsors and donors to fulfill our mission to recognize inventors, promote creativity, and advance the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship.

When sponsors not only provide needed funds but also voice their enthusiastic support to increase the reach of our invention education programs, it can make a world of difference. This is what the Stuller Family Foundation has done in Louisiana, ensuring more children gain access to the many benefits of Camp Invention^®, our hands-on K-6 STEM summer camp.

Seeing Invention Education in Action

The Stuller Family Foundation was established by Matthew G. Stuller Sr., the CEO and global strategist of Stuller Inc. For more than 25 years, the foundation has made grants and investments to advance a wide range of causes, from education, health and the arts to environmental and wildlife conservation, in Louisiana’s Acadia, Lafayette, Iberia, St. Landry, St. Martin and Vermilion parishes.

Like its support of Parish Proud, a program that invites local residents and businesses to join service projects including revitalizing public parks and playgrounds, the foundation’s Camp Invention sponsorship demonstrates its dedication to strengthening communities and enriching children’s lives.

Chuck LaGrange, executive director of the Stuller Family Foundation, explained that the foundation’s support for Camp Invention was a natural fit. “Stuller was an innovator in his own right,” LaGrange said in a recent interview with the National Inventors Hall of Fame. “He has turned a local company into a global leader in the wholesale manufacturing of jewelry.”

LaGrange said that when the Stuller Family Foundation provides support to any organization or cause, it’s important to see the impact of that support in action. As the foundation began its sponsorship of Camp Invention, LaGrange was inspired by his first visit to a camp program in Broussard, Louisiana.

“To go out and see the kids and their excitement, wonder and creativity — those weren’t just words, those were actions. They were taking place.”  
— Chuck LaGrange, Executive Director, The Stuller Family Foundation

LaGrange explained that local children are in need of the kinds of experiences and benefits Camp Invention provides. “In Louisiana, we're a high-need state,” he said. “We have a significant amount of our citizens who are either in poverty or the working poor, and with that comes lack of opportunity. Quality education is a game-changer because it provides a pathway for life. It really can set you on a trajectory where you know you can do anything that you set your mind to.”

Ensuring More Learning Opportunities

After representatives of the Stuller Family Foundation visited Camp Invention and saw its sponsorship’s impact, the foundation increased its support. What’s more, LaGrange became actively involved in a number of ways. He not only has encouraged other organizations, such as Love Our Schools and the Pinhook Foundation, to become sponsors, but he also has helped bring additional programs to the area so that more children can access Camp Invention.

“Bringing other funders to the table who also have an interest in education and in innovation to see this program, you just have to visit it one time to see the kids’ excitement, and then to hear directly from the parents who are saying the same things I’m saying,” said LaGrange. “You know that it's dollars well spent. When you hear as a donor where your dollars are going, that's really transformative. That's all you need to get involved with it.”

“You see not just that immediate impact, that spark from the children and parents, but you know you’re building toward something in the future.”  
— Chuck LaGrange, Executive Director, The Stuller Family Foundation

Motivated to help bring Camp Invention to more locations, LaGrange noted, “One of the things you absolutely need down here in Louisiana is you need to have multiple locations for access. One of the biggest issues to access is transportation.” By helping to put Camp Invention within reach for more families, the foundation ensures that more children can join their peers and enjoy all the benefits the program has to offer.

The number of Camp Invention programs in the area has since grown to four, and LaGrange remains enthusiastic about ensuring access for even more children. Speaking about these communities, LaGrange said, “We're in need of opportunity, and this program provides that opportunity in a critical space with education that creates that pathway for future success. Any way we can grow that and have the opportunity to create that spark — that within itself is a game-changer, and you can give to that all day.”

Empowering the Next Generation of Innovators

Explaining what the Stuller Family Foundation values most about the Camp Invention program, LaGrange emphasized the power of hands-on learning and participants’ demonstrated growth in confidence, collaboration and creative problem solving. With a curriculum that is directly inspired and informed by National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductees, Camp Invention also introduces children to innovative role models in whom they can see themselves reflected.

“Everybody can be an innovator, no matter what space you're in, but I think to have people that you can look at and see their story, it helps you better understand their pathway and their journey,” LaGrange said. “And I guarantee you, all of them did not have an easy path to innovation. It helps you to better understand that the end result takes hard work, but it is so meaningful and so impactful, and that within itself is inspiration to help you want to be the next innovator.”

Recognizing that one of the major challenges educators face is maintaining student engagement, LaGrange also has seen firsthand how Camp Invention makes it easy for the local educators who lead the program to keep kids engaged through fun, hands-on invention and exploration.

“Through these innovative pathways of STEM, you don't realize you're learning, because you're having fun. The kids are doing what they want to do, and that's get their hands dirty, tackle a project and actually have a solution. They’re excited, and they want to finish what they started. You couldn’t have a better outcome than that.”  
— Chuck LaGrange, Executive Director, The Stuller Family Foundation

In discussing the impact of Camp Invention, LaGrange also noted how important it is to give children appealing opportunities to disconnect from screen time. He emphasized that it’s vital to ensure children know how to rely on their own critical and creative thinking skills rather than simply using search engines or AI prompts, which can give them unreliable information, and limit their thinking and their drive to innovate.

“Camp Invention is doing something that is so critical right now. It's getting kids away from devices. Kids are so used to putting in a prompt, getting an immediate answer and then just going with that immediate answer. This is actually diminishing the curiosity component, diminishing the component of interaction with their peers,” LaGrange said. “The Camp Invention program puts kids back in a place where they are hands-on with what they construct and create. They're working with their peers to try to find solutions, and they start to experience those things that they can't experience on a device.”

When visiting Camp Invention, LaGrange recalled hearing children mention that their parents had wanted them to have this opportunity to interact with other kids. These children said they learned to appreciate their parents’ perspective because they made friends and real connections through the camp program. “When you hear that, that is gold,” LaGrange said.

As the Stuller Family Foundation continues its support of Camp Invention, LaGrange looks forward to seeing the program engage and empower even more children for years to come.

“Each year, this camp continues to exceed expectations — evolving in both content and impact to meet the growing interest and needs of young learners. It doesn’t just teach, it transforms. And the way it’s delivered, with such care and intention, gives teachers everything they need to help each child shine." 
— Chuck LaGrange, Executive Director, The Stuller Family Foundation

Learn More About the Stuller Family Foundation

The entire National Inventors Hall of Fame team is grateful for the meaningful, dedicated support of the Stuller Family Foundation. Visit stullerfoundation.org to learn more about this inspiring foundation and its impact.