Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (NSF INCLUDES) - Alliances

Overview

The NSF INCLUDES vision is to catalyze the STEM enterprise to work collaboratively for inclusive change, resulting in a STEM workforce that reflects the diversity of the Nation's population. NSF INCLUDES seeks to broaden participation in STEM fields through a National Network that inspires and accelerates collaborative efforts aimed at increasing the active participation of those who have been historically excluded and/or under-served in STEM. The National Network is composed of NSF INCLUDES projects, other NSF - funded projects with broadening participation components, scholars engaged in broadening participation research and evaluation, Subcommittee on Federal Coordination in STEM Education (FC-STEM) agencies, and organizations that support the goals of NSF INCLUDES. NSF INCLUDES is distinguished by its focus on collaborative infrastructure building to achieve systemic impacts and results at scale. 

This solicitation seeks to support diverse perspectives, networks, and approaches. New and established partnerships may propose projects engaging with any educational level or context. With this solicitation, NSF continues to offer opportunities to propose projects that: a) contribute rigorous research to the knowledge base about broadening participation in STEM and b) motivate and accelerate collaborative efforts to advance equity, sustain systemic change, and demonstrably broaden participation in STEM, especially in STEM fields that lack diversity. Researchers and practitioners with experience and expertise in institutions committed to broadening participation are strongly encouraged to consider this opportunity. 

Proposals must align with the four NSF INCLUDES key principles:

(1) broadening participation in STEM

(2) enabling sustainable change in systems

(3) scaling up outcomes in ways that advance equity

(4) building collaborative infrastructure. 

Alliances 

Alliances are large-scale networks that implement, study, and scale up systemic strategies that address a critical broadening participation challenge in STEM, Like Collaborative Change Consortia, Alliances build the infrastructure necessary to foster collaboration and broaden participation in STEM, but for Alliances, the level of impact should be national and supported by a backbone organization, Alliance s engage partners to operationalize the five design elements of collaborative infrastructure; work to achieve common goals through well-defined, common objectives; contribute rigorous and innovative research to the knowledge base about broadening participation in STEM; leverage NSF's broadening participation investments; and use lessons learned, promising practices, evidence-based mechanisms, the science of broadening participation, and research and evaluations from past and present efforts to transform systems and broaden participation in STEM at scale. 

Alliances are required to:

• Develop a shared vision and strategy for broadening the participation of an identified population(s) in STEM, along with relevant metrics of progress and key milestones/goals to be achieved at a national level, during the funding period and beyond;
• Establish multi-sector partnerships and build infrastructure to achieve progress on the project's goals;
• Contribute rigorous and innovative research to the knowledge base on broadening participation in STEM;
• Establish a "backbone" (i.e., support) organization that provides a framework for continuous communication, data management, capacity building, networking, expansion, sustainability, and visibility of the project network beyond a single city, state, or region;
• Advance a logic model or other heuristic that identifies Alliance outcomes, reflecting the implementation of change at a national scale and progress toward developing an inclusive STEM enterprise;
• Collaborate with the NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub to share project evaluations, data, new scientific findings/discoveries, and promising practices with the NSF INCLUDES National Network and build critical knowledge that enables measurable progress toward NSF INCLUDES goals;
• Participate in a network of peer alliances and the NSF INCLUDES National Network to achieve NSF INCLUDES goals; and
• Work to build connections to other organizations and broadening participation stakeholders to join in and expand the NSF National Network.

Conferences 

Conferences provide platforms for new collaborations or exchange of ideas that strengthen the NSF INCLUDES National Network. Conference proposals may be submitted by current or former NSF INCLUDES awardees or organizations that are not currently part of the NSF INCLUDES portfolio.

An organization may serve as a lead organization on only one proposal per project type, not including conferences. Proposals that exceed the organizational limit will be returned without review. No exceptions will be made. Applications to the internal competition are available on InfoReady.
 

Alliance proposals may request up to $2,000,000 per year for up to five years. NSF INCLUDES anticipates funding one Alliances project 

Conference proposals may request up to $100,000 for one year. NSF INCLUDES will consider conference proposals on an ongoing basis.