Grants / National Science Foundation / U.S. National Science Foundation

NSF 20-526: NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Program

Closed Closed Opportunity NSF 20-526 ☆ Save

This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: Major Research Instrumentation Program: (MRI) (NSF 27-500). Status: Closes January 29, 2027 (83 days left). It is in our archive of U.S. National Science Foundation notices from 2025.

• Award ceiling$5.0 million
• Award floor$650,000
• Total funding$95.0 million
• Expected awards80
• Cost sharingNot required
• Funding typeGrant

Key dates

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to the applicants described in the notice.

• Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

*Who May Submit Proposals: Proposals may only be submitted by the following: - Institutions of Higher Education (as defined in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965) in the United States, its territories, or possessions, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Ricothat grant associate, baccalaureate, or graduate degrees in the S-STEM eligible degree programs and disciplines listed in "Synopsis of Program" and Section IV.B. are invited to submit proposals. *Who May Serve as PI: For Track 1 (Institutional Capacity Building) and Track 2 (Design and Development: Single Institution) projects, the Principal Investigatormust be a faculty member currently teaching inan S-STEM eligible discipline who can provide the leadership required to ensure the success of the project. Projects involving more than one department within an institution are eligible, but a single Principal Investigator must accept overall management and leadership responsibility. Other members of the S-STEM seniorproject leadership and management team may be listed as Co-Principal Investigators. For Track 3 (Design and Development: Multi-Institutional Consortia) projects, the Principal Investigatormust be a faculty member currently teaching inan S-STEM eligiblediscipline or an institutional, educational, or social science researcher who can provide the leadership required to ensure the success of the project. A consortium projectmust have a Principal Investigator who accepts overall management and leadershipresponsibility. Other members of the S-STEM senior project leadership and management team may be listed as Co-Principal Investigators or PIs on collaborative research proposals.

Is this a realistic fit?

• Past Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences awards averaged $247,002; this notice allows up to $5.0 million per award.
• Most of the program's money (87% over five years) went to colleges and universities.
• No cost sharing or match is required.

What the grant funds

A well-educated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce isa significant contributorto maintaining the competitiveness of the U.S. in the global economy. The National Science Foundation (NSF) Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) program addresses the need for a high quality STEM workforce in STEM disciplines supported by the program and for the increased success of low-income academically talented students with demonstrated financial need who are pursuing associate, baccalaureate, or graduate degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)[6], [16]. Recognizing that financial aid alone cannot increase retention and graduation in STEM, the program provides awards to Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) to fund scholarships and to advance the adaptation, implementation, and study of effective evidence-based curricular and co-curricular activities that support recruitment, retention, transfer (if appropriate), student success, academic/career pathways, and graduation in STEM. The S-STEM program encourages collaborations among different types of participating groups, including but not limited topartnerships among different types of institutions; collaborations of STEM faculty and institutional, educational, and social science researchers; and partnerships among institutions of higher education and business, industry, local community organizations, national labs, or other federal or state government organizations,if appropriate. The program seeks to 1) increase the number of low-income academically talented students with demonstrated financial need obtaining degrees in S-STEM eligibledisciplinesand entering the workforce or graduate programs in STEM; 2) improve the education of future scientists, engineers, and technicians, with a focus on low-income academically talented students with demonstrated financial need; and 3) generate knowledge to advance understanding of howinterventions or evidence-based curricular and co-curricular activities affect the success, retention, transfer, academic/career pathways, and graduation of low-income students in STEM. Scholars must be low-income, academically talented students with unmet financial need who areenrolled in an associate, baccalaureate or graduate degree program, with a major in an S-STEMeligible discipline.

Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development.

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, NSF 27-500, which is open now.

The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.