Funder: National Science Foundation
Due Dates: July 10, 2025 (Letter of Intent, required) | October 21, 2025 (Full Proposal)
Funding Amounts: Estimated total program funding: $28,000,000; 30–35 awards anticipated; no set maximum per project, but equipment costs capped at 30% of budget.
Summary: Supports research capacity building at accredited HBCUs through projects aligned with NSF research programs in science, engineering, and STEM education.
Key Information: PI or co-PI may submit only one proposal per deadline and may hold a maximum of two HBCU-EiR awards in their career.
Description
The Historically Black Colleges and Universities - Excellence in Research (HBCU-EiR) program is designed to strengthen research capacity at accredited HBCUs by funding research projects that align with NSF's core research areas. The program aims to foster sustainable improvements in research and development at HBCUs, particularly for institutions and faculty who have not previously been successful in larger NSF competitions. HBCU-EiR supports projects across all NSF directorates, including science, engineering, and STEM education, and encourages interdisciplinary and collaborative research.
The program is managed by the NSF Office of Integrative Activities in collaboration with representatives from each NSF directorate. Outcomes from HBCU-EiR support are intended to empower researchers to subsequently compete for disciplinary-specific NSF funding.
Due Dates
- Letter of Intent (required): July 10, 2025 (Second Thursday in July, annually)
- Full Proposal: October 21, 2025 (Third Tuesday in October, annually)
Both deadlines are by 5:00 p.m. local time of the submitting organization.
Funding Amount
- Estimated Total Program Funding: $28,000,000 (subject to availability of funds and proposal quality)
- Number of Awards: 30–35 anticipated per cycle
- Award Size/Duration: No set maximum; budgets should be commensurate with project needs and typical for the relevant NSF program area. Equipment costs may not exceed 30% of the total budget.
- Cost Sharing: Not required or allowed
Eligibility
- Eligible Institutions: Only accredited Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with faculty conducting research in science, engineering, or STEM education may apply.
- Eligible PIs: The Principal Investigator must be a full-time faculty member or researcher at the submitting HBCU.
- Proposal Limits:
- An individual may serve as PI or co-PI on only one proposal per deadline.
- An individual may serve as PI or co-PI on a maximum of two HBCU-EiR awards during their career.
- No limit on the number of proposals per institution.
Application Process
- Letter of Intent: Required and must be submitted via Research.gov by an Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR). The LOI must include the project title, PI and co-PI details, institution, secondary NSF unit of consideration, and a project synopsis (max 2,500 characters).
- Full Proposal: May be submitted via Research.gov or Grants.gov. Proposals must follow the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) and the specific requirements in the solicitation.
- Required Documents:
- Project Summary (must include LOI number)
- Project Description (including broader impacts, research goals, institutional context, plan of work, sustainability plan, and dissemination plan)
- Budget and Budget Justification (equipment costs ≤30% of total; required travel for annual PI meeting in Washington, DC)
- Letter of Institutional Support (max 2 pages)
- Letters of Collaboration (if applicable, in required format)
- Collaborations: Multi-institutional proposals are allowed if all are HBCUs; collaborations with non-HBCUs must be via subaward and not constitute a substantial portion of the budget.
Additional Information
- Secondary Unit of Consideration: Applicants must designate the most relevant NSF research program/division/directorate for review.
- PI Meeting: All proposals must budget for the PI to attend a two-day annual grantee meeting in Washington, DC.
- Equipment: Up to 30% of the budget may be allocated for equipment.
- Review Criteria: Proposals are evaluated on NSF’s standard criteria: Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts.
- Reporting: Annual and final project reports are required.
External Links
Contact Information
- NSF Help Desk: 1-800-673-6188, rgov@nsf.gov
- Grants.gov Support: 1-800-518-4726, support@grants.gov