Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science | 20 569

Opportunity Information: Apply for 20 569

The National Science Foundation (NSF) grant opportunity titled Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (NSF INCLUDES; Funding Opportunity Number 20-569) supports large, collaborative efforts to make STEM education and career pathways more equitable and inclusive nationwide. It sits under NSF's broader set of "Big Ideas" introduced in 2016, which are intended to push long-term, high-impact investments at the frontiers of science and engineering. While proposals are submitted through NSF's Education and Human Resources (EHR) Directorate, Division of Human Resource Development (HRD), the work is intended to be cross-cutting and is managed by a cross-disciplinary team of NSF Program Directors, reflecting the initiative's emphasis on convergence and systems-level change rather than isolated programs.

At its core, NSF INCLUDES is designed to strengthen U.S. leadership in STEM discovery and innovation by ensuring that the STEM workforce better reflects the full diversity of the United States. The program specifically targets long-standing participation gaps for groups that have been historically underrepresented and underserved in STEM, including African Americans, Alaska Natives, Hispanics, Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, Native Pacific Islanders, persons with disabilities, individuals from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and women and girls. The underlying premise is that meaningful progress on inclusion is not just a fairness issue but also a national competitiveness issue, since expanding participation strengthens the country's talent pipeline, leadership capacity, and long-term economic resilience.

This solicitation focuses on building and expanding NSF INCLUDES Alliances, which are multi-organization collaborations intended to address major broadening participation challenges "at scale." Rather than funding a single institution to run a standalone intervention, the opportunity emphasizes forming a collaborative infrastructure across partners that can coordinate action, align incentives, and produce durable systems change. Alliances are expected to connect actors across the STEM ecosystem, such as education providers, community organizations, employers, researchers, and other stakeholders positioned to influence access, persistence, and success in STEM fields.

A defining feature of NSF INCLUDES is the requirement to design the work around five specific elements of collaborative infrastructure. First, a shared vision that aligns diverse partners around a clear, common definition of the problem and the change they intend to create. Second, partnerships that are intentional and functional, with complementary roles and real commitments rather than symbolic participation. Third, goals and metrics that allow an Alliance to measure progress, learn from evidence, and remain accountable to outcomes related to inclusion and participation. Fourth, leadership and communication structures that support decision-making, coordination, transparency, and ongoing engagement across the collaboration. Fifth, plans for expansion, sustainability, and scale so that successful practices can persist beyond the grant period and spread in a way that influences policies, pathways, and institutional norms.

The opportunity is also situated within the larger NSF INCLUDES National Network, which includes existing Alliances, Design and Development Launch Pilots, other NSF-funded projects, federal STEM coordination entities, scholars studying broadening participation, and organizations working to develop STEM talent across sectors. That network is supported by the NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub (includesnetwork.org), which exists to strengthen connectivity across projects through communication and networking, technical assistance and reinforcement, and increased visibility to help effective approaches expand. In practical terms, the solicitation signals that funded Alliances are not meant to operate in isolation; they are expected to contribute to and benefit from shared learning and coordination across the national network.

From a funding and administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary NSF grant program categorized under science and technology research and development, with multiple CFDA listings (47.041, 47.049, 47.050, 47.070, 47.074, 47.075, 47.076, 47.079, 47.083). Eligibility is listed as unrestricted (open to any type of entity), subject to any additional eligibility clarifications in the full solicitation. The award ceiling is $8,000,000, with an expected three awards under the competition referenced in the source data. The solicitation was created May 1, 2020, and the original closing date listed is January 26, 2021. Overall, the program is geared toward high-impact, multi-partner efforts that can shift STEM systems and create lasting improvements in participation, preparation, and contributions of people from historically excluded communities.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.041, 47.049, 47.050, 47.070, 47.074, 47.075, 47.076, 47.079, 47.083.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 01, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 26, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $8,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

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