Racial Equity in STEM Education | 22 634

Opportunity Information: Apply for 22 634

The National Science Foundation (NSF), through its Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR), launched the Racial Equity in STEM Education grant opportunity to fund bold, potentially transformative work that reduces racial inequities across STEM education and workforce development. The solicitation is explicitly tied to NSF's 2022-2026 Strategic Plan vision of a nation that leads in science and engineering "to the benefit of all, without barriers to participation." The underlying premise is that when STEM participation broadens and becomes more demographically and geographically inclusive, the field benefits from a wider range of questions, perspectives, and methods, ultimately producing more innovative discoveries and stronger solutions to societal challenges. NSF frames racial inequities as systemic barriers that limit who can generate STEM knowledge, who gains access to STEM learning and research experiences, and who advances into the STEM workforce.

The program's purpose is to support projects that advance racial equity through either practice-focused efforts, research, or a combination of both, as long as the work is grounded in a rigorous plan to generate knowledge and/or evidence-based practice using fundamental or applied research. NSF EHR emphasizes that funded projects should not be incremental; they should aim for groundbreaking contributions that can shift how STEM environments operate, especially for individuals and communities impacted by systemic racism. At the same time, the solicitation reinforces EHR's broader mission: strengthening STEM education at all levels and in all settings (formal and informal) to build a diverse and well-prepared workforce and an informed public, with downstream benefits for national prosperity, health, security, and quality of life.

NSF outlines three collective outcomes it expects from the portfolio of funded proposals. First, projects should meaningfully contribute to institutionalizing effective, research-based practices, policies, and outcomes in STEM learning and work environments, improving conditions for people who experience inequities from systemic racism while also benefiting the broader STEM community. Second, projects should advance scholarship on racial equity in STEM in ways that expand what counts as legitimate knowledge and inquiry at NSF, including a wider range of epistemologies, perspectives, ideas, theories, and methodological approaches. Third, the solicitation aims to diversify who leads NSF-funded work and which organizations receive NSF support, encouraging broader participation among principal investigators, co-principal investigators, and institutions.

The types of activities NSF signals as appropriate are intentionally broad, ranging from foundational research to implementation and scale-focused efforts. Examples include building or refining theory related to racial equity in STEM; developing research, evaluation, and assessment methods; conducting pilot studies and feasibility work; testing interventions and assessing their potential, efficacy, effectiveness, and scalability; and changing institutional, organizational, or structural practices and policies that shape access, climate, progression, and outcomes. The program also encourages authentic partnerships with communities directly impacted by systemic racism, including efforts to establish, cultivate, and assess the quality and impact of those partnerships. In addition, NSF welcomes evidence-synthesis work such as systematic literature reviews, meta-analyses, and meta-syntheses, as well as conferences that convene stakeholders to advance research and practice around a specific theory, topic, method, or issue aligned to the program goals. Projects may also focus on affective, behavioral, cultural, and social components of STEM participation and the implications of those factors for equity.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary NSF grant opportunity (CFDA 47.076) in the science and technology research and development category. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning proposals are open to a wide range of entity types, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications in the full solicitation. The opportunity was created on September 22, 2022, with an original closing date of January 17, 2023. NSF anticipated making about 35 awards, with an award ceiling of $5,000,000 per award. Prospective principal investigators were encouraged to email a one-page concept paper in advance of submission to EHRRacialEquity@nsf.gov, signaling NSF's interest in early communication to help align project ideas with the program's intent.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Racial Equity in STEM Education" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.076.
• This funding opportunity was created on Sep 22, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 17, 2023. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $5,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 35 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

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