Funder: National Science Foundation
Due Dates: March 4, 2025 (Full Proposal) | First Tuesday in March, Annually Thereafter
Funding Amounts: Up to $2M (Tracks 1 & 2, 6 years) | Up to $5M (Track 3, 6 years) | $80–$120M total program funding annually
Summary: Supports scholarships and evidence-based support activities for academically talented, low-income students in STEM fields to increase retention, graduation, and workforce entry.
Key Information: Limited submission: max 2 proposals per institution per deadline; eligibility and budget requirements vary by track.
Description
The National Science Foundation's S-STEM program provides funding to institutions of higher education (IHEs) to offer scholarships and implement evidence-based support activities for academically talented, low-income students pursuing associate, baccalaureate, or graduate degrees in STEM fields. The program aims to increase the number of low-income students who graduate with STEM degrees and contribute to the U.S. innovation economy. In addition to scholarships, funded projects must include curricular and co-curricular activities proven to support student recruitment, retention, transfer, and success in STEM.
The program is structured into three main tracks:
- Track 1: Institutional Capacity Building (for institutions without recent S-STEM/STEP awards)
- Track 2: Implementation Projects (open to all eligible IHEs)
- Track 3: Inter-institutional Consortia (multi-institutional collaborations)
Planning proposals and conference proposals are also accepted (with prior program officer consultation).
Due Dates
- Full Proposal Deadline: March 4, 2025 (by 5 p.m. local time)
- Subsequent Deadlines: First Tuesday in March, annually thereafter
- Planning and Conference Proposals: Accepted any time with prior program officer approval
Funding Amount
- Track 1 (Institutional Capacity Building): Up to $2,000,000 total for up to 6 years (≥50% for scholarships)
- Track 2 (Implementation Projects): Up to $2,000,000 total for up to 6 years (≥60% for scholarships)
- Track 3 (Inter-institutional Consortia): Up to $5,000,000 total for up to 6 years (≥60% for scholarships)
- Individual Scholarships: Up to $15,000/year (undergraduate), $20,000/year (graduate), not to exceed unmet financial need
- Estimated Number of Awards: 40–60 per year
- Total Program Funding: $80–$120 million annually
Eligibility
- Eligible Applicants: Accredited U.S. two- and four-year institutions of higher education (including community colleges), acting on behalf of their faculty.
- PI Requirements:
- Tracks 1 & 2: Faculty member in an S-STEM eligible discipline or academic administrator with relevant teaching experience.
- Track 3: Faculty in S-STEM discipline, academic administrator, or non-teaching researcher in education/social science.
- Scholarship Recipients Must:
- Be U.S. citizens, nationals, lawful permanent residents, or admitted refugees.
- Be enrolled at least half-time in an S-STEM eligible degree program and discipline.
- Demonstrate academic ability/talent/potential as defined by the institution.
- Be low-income (per institutional definition) with demonstrated unmet financial need.
- Institutional Limits: Maximum of 2 proposals per institution per deadline (must not overlap in disciplines).
- Track 1 Restriction: Institution must not have had an active S-STEM or STEP award in the past 5 years.
Ineligible Programs: Clinical degrees (e.g., medicine, nursing, pharmacy), business administration degrees, and STEM teacher certification/licensure programs covered by the Robert Noyce program.
Application Process
- Submission Platforms: Research.gov (required for 6-year budgets and collaborative proposals) or Grants.gov
- Required Documents:
- Project summary and description (including intellectual merit and broader impacts)
- Analysis of prospective scholar pool and unmet need
- Letters from the Office of Financial Aid (certifying low-income definition and support)
- Logic model/theory of change and evaluation plan
- Biographical sketches (NSF format) for key personnel and external evaluator
- For Track 1: Initial planning period description (6–12 months)
- Budget Requirements: Minimum percentage of funds must be allocated to scholarships (50% for Track 1, 60% for Tracks 2 & 3). Scholarships must be "last dollar" and not exceed unmet need or the maximum annual amount.
- No cost sharing required.
- Indirect costs: Allowed per institutional agreement.
Additional Information
- Limited Submission: Institutions may submit up to two proposals per deadline; proposals must not overlap in S-STEM eligible disciplines.
- Scholar Selection: Must be based solely on academic talent/potential and financial need; demographic characteristics cannot be used as selection criteria.
- Support Activities: Projects must include evidence-based curricular and co-curricular supports (e.g., mentoring, cohort formation, professional development).
- Evaluation: All projects require an external evaluation plan; Track 3 also requires a research component.
- Reporting: Annual and final reports required; participation in NSF S-STEM data collection is mandatory.
- Webinars: NSF will host informational webinars; see the program page for updates.
External Links
Contact Information
- NSF General Contact Page
- NSF Information Center: 703-292-5111