Atom | Build and Broaden: Enhancing Social, Behavioral and Economic Science Research and Capacity at Minority-Serving Institutions

Funder: National Science Foundation (NSF)

Due Dates: January 19, 2023 (archived) | Third Thursday in January, Annually Thereafter (next: January 15, 2026)

Funding Amounts: Approximately $8,000,000 total anticipated funding; 25 to 30 awards expected annually.

Summary: Supports fundamental social, behavioral, and economic science research and capacity-building at minority-serving institutions (MSIs), promoting collaborations and broadening STEM workforce participation.

Key Information: Proposals must involve MSIs either as lead or collaborative partners; more than 50% of direct costs must go to MSIs if PI is non-MSI; limited to one proposal per PI/co-PI annually.

Description

The Build and Broaden (B2) program by the NSF Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE) aims to enhance research and research capacity in social, behavioral, and economic sciences at minority-serving institutions (MSIs). It addresses the underrepresentation of MSIs in NSF-funded research by encouraging proposal submissions from MSIs and fostering collaborations between MSIs and other institutions.

The program supports projects that:

Advance fundamental research across a broad range of SBE disciplines including anthropology, economics, psychology, political science, sociology, and more.
Build research capacity and infrastructure at MSIs.
Increase student participation in graduate STEM training.
Enhance principal investigator productivity.
Cultivate partnerships and collaborative networks involving MSI scholars.

MSIs include historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs), Tribal Colleges or Universities (TCUs), and other federally recognized minority-serving institutions.

Proposals may be submitted by single PIs at MSIs or by teams involving multiple MSIs. Non-MSI PIs may apply only if they collaborate with MSI senior personnel and allocate over half of the direct costs to MSIs. The program also welcomes conference proposals, Early-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER), and Research Coordination Network (RCN) proposals that align with its goals.

Due Dates

Full Proposal Target Date: January 19, 2023 (archived)
Recurring Deadline: Third Thursday in January annually (next due date: January 15, 2026)

Funding Amount

Total anticipated funding: Approximately $8,000,000 per year
Estimated number of awards: 25 to 30 annually
Award types: Standard or continuing grants
Award size and duration vary depending on project scope and budget

Eligibility

Eligible PIs: Full-time scientists, educators, or researchers at accredited MSIs or at non-MSI institutions collaborating with MSIs.
Non-MSI PIs must include MSI scholars as senior personnel and allocate more than 50% of direct costs to MSIs.
No limit on proposals per organization.
Limit of one proposal per PI or co-PI per year.
Preference for institutions with less than $25 million in NSF awards or less than $3 million in SBE awards over the past five years.

Application Process

Proposals must be submitted electronically via Research.gov or Grants.gov; FastLane submissions are not accepted.
Letters of intent and preliminary proposals are not required.
Proposals must follow NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) guidelines.
Project summary must include participating MSIs, description of MSI involvement, and research disciplines.
Project description must address broader impacts on MSI faculty and students, nature of partnerships, and intellectual merit.
Data Management Plan required, including public data availability.
Voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited.
Salary support may be requested to reduce teaching loads at MSIs.

Additional Information

The program supports broad disciplinary areas within SBE sciences.
Proposals involving MSIs in peripheral roles will be returned without review.
The program encourages building sustainable research collaborations and networks.
Awardees must comply with NSF award conditions and reporting requirements.
The program aligns with NSF’s strategic goals to broaden participation and enhance STEM workforce diversity.

External Links

Contact Information

Contact Role	Name	Phone	Email
Program Director	Jorge Valdes Kroff	(703) 292-7902	jvaldesk@nsf.gov
Program Specialist	Bela Jang	(703) 292-7902	bejang@nsf.gov
Research.gov Help Desk	—	1-800-673-6188	rgov@nsf.gov
FastLane Help Desk	—	1-800-673-6188	fastlane@nsf.gov
Grants.gov Contact Center	—	1-800-518-4726	support@grants.gov

This program is ideal for researchers at minority-serving institutions or those seeking to collaborate with MSIs to enhance social, behavioral, and economic science research capacity and broaden participation in STEM fields.