This briefing provides a synopsis of education grant opportunities that will be due within the next 6 – 8 months, which is within the ideal timeframe for completing a grant application. If you are interested in any of the funding opportunities, we encourage you to fully review the program's solicitation. Finally, if you have questions about the program and the related evaluation please contact us.
Funder: National Science Foundation
Program Purpose: The ATE program “supports the education of the skilled technical workforce”, defined as “[individuals] who use a high level of science and engineering skills in their jobs but do not hold a baccalaureate degree” “.” The ATE program awards funds to institutions “that award two-year degrees in advanced technology fields.” The ATE program has five tracks, including: Small Projects for Institutions New to ATE, ATE Projects, Consortia for Innovations in Technician Education, ATE Centers, and Applied Research on Technician Education.
Program Evaluation Requirements: All ATE proposals must include a subsection titled “Evaluation Plan” that includes relevant evaluation information, including who will be involved in the evaluation and “how evaluation responsibilities will be divided between the external evaluator and project staff.”
Due Date: All track proposals are due on October 5, 2023.
Funder: National Science Foundation
Program Purpose: The ECR: Core program supports "fundamental research that contributes to the general, explanatory knowledge that underlies STEM education in one or more of the three broadly conceived research areas: Research on STEM learning and learning environments, Research on broadening participation in STEM fields, and Research on STEM workforce development."
Program Evaluation Requirements: All ECR: Core proposals must include "plans for soliciting and addressing external feedback," which may come from an advisory board, evaluation plan, or other evaluative mechanisms.
Due Date: All track proposals are due on October 5, 2023.
Funder: National Science Foundation
Program Purpose: All EHR grants are intended to: “(1) substantively contribute to institutionalizing effective research-based practices, policies, and outcomes in STEM environments for those who experience inequities caused by systemic racism and the broader community; (2) advance scholarship and promote racial equity in STEM in ways that expand the array of epistemologies, perspectives, ideas, and theoretical and methodological approaches that NSF funds; and (3) further diversify project leadership (PIs and Co-PIs ) and institutions funded by NSF.”
Program Evaluation Requirements: All proposals are required to include evaluation plans focusing on two main goals: (1) Supporting iterative improvement and (2) Promoting accountability.
Due Date: Proposals are due on October 10, 2023.
Funder: National Science Foundation
Program Purpose: The goal of the NSF INCLUDES program is to “broaden participation in STEM fields through a National Network that inspires and accelerates collaborative efforts aimed at increasing the active participation of those who have been historically excluded and/or underserved in STEM.” Proposals must align with the program’s four key principles: “(1) broadening participation in STEM, (2) enabling sustainable change in systems, (3) scaling up outcomes in ways that advance equity, and (4) building collaborative infrastructure.” There are five tracks project teams can apply for through the INCLUDES program, including: Design & Development Launch Pilots (DDLPs), Collaborative Change Consortia, Alliances, Network Connectors, and Conferences.
Program Evaluation Requirements: NSF INCLUDES proposals are required to include information on the external evaluator and an evaluation plan.
Due Date: Network Connector, Alliance, and Conference tracks are the only ones accepting proposals this year. Network Connector and Alliance proposals are due on October 24, 2023, and Conference proposals are due on October 30, 2023.
Funder: National Science Foundation
Program Purpose: The BPE program “seeks to strengthen the future U.S. Engineering workforce and catalyze research innovation by enabling the participation of all citizens in STEM, thus reflecting the diversity and true intellectual capacity of the Nation’s population.”. In support of its goal, the program offers four tracks: Planning and Conference Grants, Research in Broadening Participation in Engineering, Inclusive Mentoring Hubs, and Centers for Equity in Engineering.
Program Evaluation Requirements: Both Track 3 and 4 proposals must include “a mechanism to assess and evaluate how well the project has achieved the stated objectives.” Track 4 proposals are required to include an Evaluation& Assessment Plan that will be overseen by an independent evaluator.
Due Date: Inclusive Mentoring Hub and Centers for Equity in Engineering proposals require a letter of intent to be submitted by September20, 2023, with the full proposal then due on November 15, 2023. It should also be noted that the BPE program offers two other tracks, which they accept proposals for at any time.
Funder: National Science Foundation
Program Purpose: The mission of the HBCU-RISE grant, which is a component of NSF's CREST program is to “support efforts to strengthen the science and engineering research and education capacity at institutions with strong track records of producing STEM graduates from populations that have been underrepresented in their participation in STEM fields of study: women, Blacks and African Americans, Hispanic or Latino Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians, Native Pacific Islanders, veterans, and persons with disabilities."
Program Evaluation Requirements: Teams are required to work with a project evaluator/evaluation team that "will gauge the accomplishment of project goals and the impacts of the project." In support of the importance of the evaluation to the project, NSF indicates that project teams' budgets should include adequate resources to support the evaluation.
Due Date: Proposals are due on December 1, 2023.
Funder: National Science Foundation
Program Purpose: The mission of this grant is to “enhance the research competitiveness of targeted jurisdictions (states, territories, commonwealths) by strengthening STEM capacity and capability through a diverse portfolio of investments from talent development to local infrastructure."
Program Evaluation Requirements: Project teams are required to work with an independent external evaluator who will provide annual evaluation and assessment of the project. The Evaluation and Assessment plan must be an integral part of the project design and be connected to the strategic plan. Teams will also be required to participate in EDOCS data-collection activity coordinated by NSF EpSCoR.
Due Date: Proposals are due on December 6, 2023.
Funder: National Science Foundation
Program Purpose: The AISL program seeks to “understand how learners can be supported to develop interest and learning and to bridge across interest areas and settings” across six research areas; (1) Learning STEM in Informal Experiences and Environments; (2) Advancing the Knowledge Base of Informal STEM Learning; (3) Equity, Belonging, and Broadening Participation; (4) Intentionally Community/Practitioner Driven; (5) Professional Capacity Building & Informal STEM Infrastructure; and (6) Support Learners’ Participation in and Understanding of STEM practices.
Program Evaluation Requirements: Proposals are required to indicate which evaluative processes will be employed in support of iterative improvement and to promote accountability.
Due Date: Proposals are due on January 10, 2024.
Funder: National Science Foundation
Program Purpose: The mission of this grant is to “build STEM-driven, interjurisdictional research collaborations with the potential to be nationally and internationally competitive.” RII Track – 2 FEC proposals should be aligned with the following focus area: “advancing climate change research and resilience capacity to expand opportunities for disproportionately affected communities.”
Program Evaluation Requirements: Project teams are required to work with an independent expert evaluator, who will provide annual evaluations and assessments of the project. The Evaluation and Assessment plan should be included in the proposal.
Due Date: Proposals require a letter of intent due on December 19, 2023 in addition to the full proposal, which is due on January 23, 2024.
Funder: Department of Commerce
Program Purpose: The mission of this funding program is to "improve the quality of life, spur economic development and commercial activity, and create opportunities for remote employment, online entrepreneurship, remote learning, and telehealth by expanding broadband access and by providing digital training and inclusion programs by Native American communities."
Program Evaluation Requirements: Project teams are required to include proposed metrics, data planned for collection, and other evaluation methodologies that will be used to evaluate the project's success and benefits delivered to Native American/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian beneficiaries.
Due Date: Proposals are due on January 23, 2024.
Funder: National Science Foundation
Program Purpose: The purpose of this program is to support both researcher-practitioner partnerships (RPPS), and "research with the goal of building knowledge from research and development to support efforts that aim to provide opportunities for all students to participate in CS and CT formal STEM learning at the pre-k, elementary, middle, and high school grade levels." Four "strands" (High School, Prek-8, preK-12 or preK-14 Pathways, and Research Strands) will be funded. Research proposals should also list the size class (Small, Medium, or Large), which will impact the dollar amount awarded.
Program Evaluation Requirements: Medium and Large RPP strand research proposals are required to include evaluation plans, and all projects must have "external, critical reviews of their designs and activities," which can come through an external review panel advisory board or a third-party evaluator.
Due Date: Proposals are due on February 14, 2023.
Funder: National Science Foundation
Program Purpose: The purpose of the S-STEM program is “to increase the success of domestic low-income students with academic ability, talent, or potential and demonstrated financial need who are pursuing associate, baccalaureate, or graduate degrees in eligible disciplines of strategic importance for the Nation.” Institutions have the option of applying for the program through four different tracks, including: Institutional Capacity Building (Track 1), Implementation: Single Institution (Type 2), Inter-institutional Consortia (Track 3), or Collaborative Planning Grants to Develop an Inter-institutional Consortium.
Program Evaluation Requirements: All S-STEM proposals (except for Collaborative Planning grants) require a rigorous, clear, and specific external evaluation. Evaluations must be executed by an evaluator that is external to the project. The evaluator may be employed by the project’s home institution, as long as he or she works in a separate organizational unit that has a different reporting line than that of the project’s home unit.
Due Date: Track 2, Track 3 and Collaborative Planning S-STEM proposals are due February 20, 2024, and Track 1 grants are due May 28, 2024.
