Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation
Due Dates: April 1, 2025 (ICE-TI, TSIP, SGR) | June 1, 2025 (TEA Centers) | September 2, 2025 (TSETS) | October 15, 2024–October 14, 2025 (Partnerships, CHAI, Pre-TI - rolling)
Funding Amounts: Up to $3.5M (TEA Centers); $2.5M (ICE-TI); $1.75M (TSETS); $500k (TSIP); $250k (CHAI); $200k (SGR); $150k (Pre-TI); $825k/institution/year (Partnerships). Total program funding ~$10.8M/year.
Summary: Supports capacity-building, research, and STEM education at Tribal Colleges and Universities, Alaska Native-serving, and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions.
Key Information: Only TCUP-eligible institutions may lead proposals; some tracks have annual or rolling deadlines.
Description
The Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) from the National Science Foundation funds transformative projects to enhance STEM education, research, and capacity at federally recognized Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), Alaska Native-serving institutions, and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions. The program aims to increase Native participation in STEM careers, strengthen institutional STEM programs, and foster community engagement and partnerships that broaden STEM opportunities for Native communities.
TCUP offers several funding tracks, including:
- Instructional Capacity Excellence (ICE-TI): Large-scale institutional STEM improvements.
- Targeted STEM Infusion Projects (TSIP): Short-term, focused STEM education enhancements.
- TCUP for Secondary and Elementary Teachers in STEM (TSETS): Professional development for K-12 STEM teachers.
- TEA Centers: Multi-year centers addressing tribal/community STEM research needs.
- Cyberinfrastructure Health, Assistance, and Improvements (CHAI): Upgrades for institutional STEM cyberinfrastructure.
- Preparing for TCUP Implementation (Pre-TI): Planning grants for institutions new to TCUP or launching novel STEM initiatives.
- TCUP Partnerships: Collaborative projects between TCUP and non-TCUP institutions.
- Small Grants for Research (SGR): Faculty research support in STEM/STEM education.
Due Dates
- ICE-TI, TSIP, SGR: April 1, 2025 (annually)
- TEA Centers: June 1, 2025 (annually)
- TSETS: September 2, 2025 (annually)
- TCUP Partnerships, CHAI, Pre-TI: Rolling submissions, October 15, 2024–October 14, 2025
Check the program solicitation for track-specific requirements and deadlines.
Funding Amount
- ICE-TI: Up to $2,500,000 (up to 5 years)
- TSIP: Up to $500,000 (up to 3 years)
- TSETS: Up to $1,750,000 (up to 5 years)
- TEA Centers: Up to $3,500,000 (up to 5 years, renewable)
- CHAI: Up to $250,000 (up to 1 year)
- Pre-TI: Up to $150,000 (up to 2 years)
- TCUP Partnerships: Up to $825,000 per institution per year (up to 5 years; up to $5,000,000 per project)
- SGR: Up to $200,000 (up to 2 years)
Total estimated annual program funding is approximately $10.8 million. See the solicitation for details.
Eligibility
- Lead Applicants: Only federally recognized Tribal Colleges and Universities, Alaska Native-serving institutions (≥20% Alaska Native undergraduates), and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions (≥10% Native Hawaiian undergraduates) may serve as lead institutions.
- Partnerships: Other accredited higher education institutions may participate as non-lead partners in collaborative projects.
- PI Requirements:
- For ICE-TI, TEA Centers, and Partnerships: President, chief academic officer, senior STEM faculty, or equivalent.
- For TSIP, TSETS: STEM faculty (STEM education faculty encouraged as team members).
- For SGR: Lead researcher, typically STEM/STEM education faculty.
- For CHAI: Senior STEM faculty (CIO encouraged as key team member).
- Specific institutional eligibility details and definitions are provided in the solicitation.
Application Process
- Submission Platforms: Proposals must be submitted via Research.gov or Grants.gov.
- Proposal Requirements:
- No letters of intent or preliminary proposals required.
- Full proposals must follow the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG).
- Project description page limits: 15 pages for most tracks; 5 pages for CHAI and Pre-TI.
- Budget, evaluation plan, and dissemination plan required.
- ICE-TI, TSIP, TEA Centers, Pre-TI, and Partnerships proposals must include a project management structure and external advisory committee plan.
- SGR proposals require a detailed research plan, departmental support letter, and (if applicable) collaborator letters.
- Cost Sharing: Not required or permitted.
See the full solicitation for proposal structure and track-specific requirements.
Additional Information
- Proposals must be tailored to the specific funding strand.
- Some tracks have limits on the number of proposals per institution per year.
- No voluntary committed cost sharing is allowed.
- For most tracks, funds should be budgeted for PI/PD attendance at the annual TCUP Leaders' Forum.
- For SGR, equipment costs may not exceed 20% of the total budget.
- For CHAI, funds for key personnel salaries are not allowed; student/non-key personnel support is permitted.
- Projects must include plans for sustainability and evaluation, aligned with NSF's merit review criteria (Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts).
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Contact Information