Funding opportunities!
There are several funding opportunities for colleges with an interest in STEM education. We'll keep adding new resources to the top of this page as they appear.
Mar 2023
Elizabeth Stewart here, adding to Sandra's list of resources. I had the good fortune to be able to join the March 21st webinar about NSF Dear Colleague Letters (DCLs), hosted by Rachel Bower and attended by many program officers, including Celeste Carter, Lead Program Director, Advanced Technological Education (ATE). I learned a great deal about DCLs and in particular I learned that program officers are very open to being contacted if you have any questions! I also found out there are different types of DCLs, such as "supplemental" (in which you apply to extend your current funding, but the supplemental can be for some focus that was not covered in the original grant), "no money" (often used to gauge community need, at which point funding may be come available later if the number of applicants suggests there is a need), and informational (a heads-up document to let the community know what is in the future). I have listed below some specific DCLs that were mentioned during the webinar--the actual listings can be hard to find, even on the NSF site. It was suggested to do a Google search for "DCL" site:nsf.gov. I tried that search and found some DCLs, one in particular looked intriguing: NSF 23-066, Dear Colleague Letter: Announcement of Upcoming Topics for the 2023 NSF's Convergence Accelerator Solicitation--pretty cool!
DCLs mentioned during the webinar
NSF 19-057 International Training and Education in Advanced Technologies (ATE-I), as also mentioned by Sandra below. A supplemental opportunity for those who already have ATE grants to participate in an international training and education opportunity. It is NOT necessary for international travel to have been mentioned in the original grant.
NSF 20-054 Undergraduate Research Experiences in Advanced Technological Education (ATE-URE), as also mentioned by Sandra below
NSF 21-076 A New Supplemental Funding Opportunity for Skills Training in Advanced Research & Technology (START), as also mentioned by Sandra below (Version 2 is coming soon)
NSF 22-059 Ocean Technical Workforce Education.This Dear Colleague Letter encourages proposals within two categories: 1) Curriculum Development proposals and 2) Student Engagement proposals. Proposal submissions for either category must respond to the existing funding opportunities listed at the NSF link. The goal of the DCL is to expand technical capacity in the U.S. workforce in high-technology fields through training programs that educate the next generation of ocean technicians, data scientists, ocean engineers, and ocean scientists.
NSF 22-120 Enhancing Engineering Technology and Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Technician Education (ETSTE). This Dear Colleague Letter announces a cooperative activity between NSF and Intel Corporation to stimulate transformative approaches to improve and impact advanced manufacturing technician education and workforce development for (a) semiconductor manufacturing and/or (b) semiconductor manufacturing and design.
Take a look! One of these might be just what you need!
Dec 2022
New S-STEM Solicitation:
S-STEM supports domestic undergraduate and graduate low-income students with academic ability, talent, or potential to pursue successful careers in promising S-STEM eligible fields. Ultimately, the S-STEM program seeks to increase the number of low-income students who graduate with a S-STEM eligible degree and contribute to the American innovation economy with their STEM knowledge.
The new S-STEM solicitation (23-527) has been cleared for publication and will appear on the S-STEM program webpage early next week. The deadline for proposals is March 2nd, 2023.
Oct 2022
1. Research Coordination Networks in Undergraduate Biology (RCN-UBE)- The goal of the RCN-UBE program is to link biological research discoveries with innovations in biology education to improve the learning environment in undergraduate biology classrooms. The RCN-UBE program supports groups of investigators to communicate and coordinate their research, training, and education.
2. Experiential Learning for Emerging and Novel Technologies (ExLENT) It looks like this program would be a great way to fund internships. Key goals of the program are to:
(1) expand access to career-enhancing experiential learning opportunities for a broader, more diverse population, including adult learners interested in re-skilling and/or upskilling (e.g., those who face or who have faced significant barriers to accessing a formal STEM education);
(2) promote cross sector partnerships between organizations in emerging technology fields and those with expertise in workforce development; and
(3) develop a workforce aligned with regional economies based on emerging technologies across the Nation, in alignment with the mission of the TIP Directorate.
Those of you who already have NSF grants are encouraged to look at the NSF Dear Colleague letters and think about applying for supplements. Here are some examples:
1.NSF 21-076 Dear Colleague Letter: A New Supplemental Funding Opportunity for Skills Training in Advanced Research & Technology (START) This supplemental funding opportunity provides students, faculty, and student/faculty teams in two-year Institutions of Higher Education (2-yr IHEs) with experiential learning opportunities through research internships that involve IUCRC Centers and associated Center research projects. In other words, this supplement to your ATE project can provide support for research experiences for students and faculty.
2. NSF 20-054 Dear Colleague Letter: Undergraduate Research Experiences in Advanced Technological Education (ATE-URE) If you have ATE funding, this letter describes opportunities for supplemental funding to support research experiences. Supplements related to this letter must also include how the UREs will promote workforce preparation for students at two-year institutions.
3. NSF 21-110 Dear Colleague Letter: Persons with Disabilities – STEM Engagement and Access (PWD-SEA) This Dear Colleague Letter encourages submission of new proposals, or requests for supplemental funding to existing awards, to support existing or new access to and engagement in STEM learning, research, and workforce development at proposing or awardee organizations for students, postdoctoral scholars, or faculty and staff with disabilities. A wide range of disability types are recognized in this Dear Colleague Letter including, but not limited to, deafness or hearing loss; blindness or visual impairment; physical, mental health, medical or other health-related disabilities; and neurodiverse conditions such as dyslexia, autism spectrum disorders, and learning disabilities.
4. NSF 19-057 Dear Colleague Letter: International Training and Education in Advanced Technologies (ATE-I) Want to study in another country? This Dear Colleague Letter describes how ATE grantees can apply for supplemental funds to learn from their counterparts in Europe.