Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation
Due Dates: March 4, 2025 (Full Proposal) | First Tuesday in March, annually thereafter
Funding Amounts: Up to $2,000,000 (Tracks 1 & 2, max 6 years) | Up to $5,000,000 (Track 3, max 6 years) | Typical total program funding: $120M; ~60 awards expected
Summary: Supports scholarships and evidence-based supports for academically talented, low-income students in NSF-funded STEM disciplines at U.S. institutions of higher education.
Key Information: At least 50–60% of funds must go directly to student scholarships; eligibility and requirements differ by track.
Description
The NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) program aims to increase the success and graduation rates of academically talented, low-income students pursuing associate, baccalaureate, or graduate degrees in STEM. The program funds institutions of higher education (IHEs) to provide scholarships and to adapt, implement, and study evidence-based curricular and co-curricular activities that support recruitment, retention, transfer, student success, academic/career pathways, and graduation in STEM fields. The S-STEM program especially encourages proposals from community colleges, predominantly undergraduate institutions, and public institutions serving urban, suburban, or rural populations.
Due Dates
- Full Proposal Deadline: March 4, 2025 (by 5 p.m. local time)
- Recurring Deadline: First Tuesday in March, annually thereafter
Funding Amount
- Track 1 (Institutional Capacity Building): Up to $2,000,000 total for up to 6 years
- Track 2 (Implementation Projects): Up to $2,000,000 total for up to 6 years
- Track 3 (Inter-institutional Consortia): Up to $5,000,000 total for up to 6 years
- Total Program Funding: Up to $120,000,000 annually; approximately 60 awards expected
- Scholarships: Minimum 50% (Track 1) or 60% (Tracks 2 & 3) of funds must be used for direct student scholarships
- Up to $15,000/year per undergraduate and $20,000/year per graduate student (not to exceed unmet financial need or cost of attendance)
Eligibility
- Who May Apply:
- Accredited U.S. two- and four-year institutions of higher education (including community colleges), acting on behalf of their faculty.
- International branch campuses of U.S. IHEs may apply with justification for activities abroad.
- Who May Serve as PI:
- Tracks 1 & 2: Faculty member currently teaching in an S-STEM eligible discipline, or an academic administrator with teaching experience in an eligible discipline.
- Track 3: Faculty as above, or an academic administrator, or a non-teaching researcher in institutional/educational/social science fields related to low-income student success.
- Proposal Limits:
- Each institution may submit up to two proposals per deadline (must not overlap in S-STEM eligible disciplines).
- No limit on number of proposals per PI or co-PI.
- Scholar Eligibility (for supported students):
- U.S. citizens, nationals, refugees, or lawful permanent residents
- Enrolled at least half-time in an eligible STEM degree program
- Demonstrated academic ability or potential
- Classified as low-income by institutional standards
- Demonstrated unmet financial need
Application Process
- Submission Platforms: Research.gov or Grants.gov
- Proposals requesting a six-year duration must be submitted via Research.gov.
- Required Documents:
- Project Summary (including Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts)
- Project Description (with detailed needs analysis, activities, evaluation, management plan, etc.)
- Budget and Justification (including scholarship allocation details)
- Supplementary Documents:
- Letter from Financial Aid Office (certifying low-income definition and processes)
- Logic model/theory of change
- Institutional data on eligible student pool and unmet need
- External evaluator’s biographical sketch
- For Track 1: Planning period activities (4 pages max)
- Review Criteria: NSF Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts, plus alignment with S-STEM legislative goals and demonstration of need for targeted degrees.
- No Letters of Intent or Preliminary Proposals required.
Additional Information
- Tracks Overview:
- Track 1: For institutions without active S-STEM/STEP awards in the past 5 years; includes a 6–12 month planning period before scholarships are awarded.
- Track 2: Open to all eligible institutions; focus on implementation and scaling of evidence-based supports.
- Track 3: Supports inter-institutional consortia; must include a research component on low-income STEM student success and collaboration across institutions.
- Ineligible Programs: Clinical degrees (medicine, nursing, pharmacy, etc.), business administration degrees, and STEM teacher certification programs covered by the Robert Noyce Scholarship program.
- Cost Sharing: Not required or permitted.
- Reporting: Annual and final project reports required; participation in NSF data collection and evaluation is mandatory.
External Links
Contact Information
For technical submission issues via Grants.gov:
Email: grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov