NSF Analytics for Equity Initiative

Overview

The National Science Foundation (NSF) invites social, economic, and behavioral scientists to submit proposals to the Analytics for Equity Initiative (Initiative). The Initiative seeks to leverage existing publicly available federal data, existing restricted-use data from federal statistical agencies, and other relevant existing publicly available data and scientific advances in researching equity-related topics for greater public benefit. It is designed to produce rigorous empirical research that federal agencies and other organizations can use to increase the impact of equity-focused evidence-based strategies. 

The Initiative pilots a new form of partnership between NSF, the White House, other federal agencies, and the research community. The Initiative will link interested offerors directly with federal agencies seeking to answer research questions captured in their Learning Agendas in five equity-related thematic areas.

Theme 1. Equity of Access to STEM Research and Education Opportunities (see NSF Learning Agenda for more information about what NSF is trying to accomplish)
Research questions of interest include but are not limited to* :

a. How do strategies used to broaden participation in STEM align with effective strategies emerging from the peer-reviewed literature, and how may this shape program design to help increase the participation of underrepresented groups in the STEM workforce?

b. What factors influence whether a researcher submits a proposal to a federal sponsor?

c. In what ways did the COVID pandemic influence the participation of different groups in NSF’s portfolio of programs and activities?

d. In what ways do the characteristics of institutions and individuals receiving awards from NSF’s Broadening Participation (BP) programs (including focused and emphasis programs) and non-BP programs differ?

e. What do findings imply for NSF and other federal efforts to broaden participation in STEM programming?

Theme 2. Environmental Stressors and Equity (EPA Learning Agenda)
Research questions of interest include but are not limited to* :

a. How do interactions between multiple chemical and non-chemical stressors increase susceptibility to pollution exposure for individuals living in overburdened communities? What methods or tools can be utilized to identify and characterize exposure and begin to account for interactions between them? In what scientifically defensible ways can community-generated or traditional ecological knowledge on stressors be integrated with conventional scientific approaches? How can analysis of cumulative impacts contribute to characterizing the
distribution of environmental burdens and benefits across communities and populations?

b. What are the main financial and non-financial barriers that discourage lead service line replacement? What outreach, financing or other incentive structures, program design features, or other approaches are effective in overcoming these barriers? Does the effectiveness these approaches vary with sociodemographic characteristics? Specifically, what approaches for encouraging lead service line replacement are most effective in communities with high concentrations of people that do not speak English as a primary language, people of color, low-income residents, and/or renters? How are property values impacted in the short and long term by lead service line replacement and how does public access to this information impact lead service line replacement rates? How are renters affected?

c. What are the health and welfare impacts of lead service line replacements for children and adults, and do they differ by income, race/ethnicity, or other indicator of socioeconomic vulnerability? Endpoints of interest could include changes in blood lead levels or health endpoints associated with lead exposure, such as neurodevelopmental, cardiovascular, or reproductive endpoints. 

Theme 3. Equity in Human Services Delivery and Outcomes (ASPE, HHS Learning Agenda)
Research questions of interest include but are not limited to* :

a. Medicaid utilization by families involved in child welfare systems. For families involved in state child welfare programs, who is filing Medicaid claims and what types of claims? Does this vary by child race or ethnicity, or other demographic or household factors? When looking at claims related to substance use, does this tell a different story?

b. Safety participation and related outcomes for immigrants and refugees. What are the employment and earnings outcomes of safety net program participants that are second generation immigrants compared to first generation immigrants? Compared to those born in the United States? For refugees arriving in the United States in the past 5 years, what are their integration outcomes, including language acquisition, educational attainment, labor force and earnings, healthcare access, and other domains? How do these outcomes differ by demographic group, and compare to the non-refugee immigrant population arriving over the same period?

Theme 4. Health Equity in the Wake of Climate Change (CDC, HHS Learning Agenda)
Research questions of interest include but are not limited to*:

a. What are the causes of disproportionate health impacts of climate change among communities with increased risk of exposure, higher sensitivity, and lower adaptive capacity? What can be effective intervention strategies in addressing health equity and environmental justice among populations at higher risk for and historically underserved populations?

b. What are the risk factors (e.g., lack of access to air conditioning, living in basement apartments in flood-prone areas, lack of emergency supply kits for disasters) that impact historically underserved populations and their ability to prepare and respond to climate change?

c. What are the structural and systemic factors (social determinants of health) that influence a community’s participation in local environmental justice efforts?

d. What factors contribute to community resilience in neighborhoods and communities overexposed to air pollution (including wildfire), lead, radiation chemical spills, extreme climate events, and outbreaks in public water systems?

Theme 5. Equity Considerations for Workplace Safety and Workers  (DOL Learning Agenda)
Research questions of interest include but are not limited to* :

a. What measurements of current- and emerging- conditions should be considered for analysis in determining health and safety risks for workers and for communities? How do these conditions affect specific industries, regions, or populations disproportionately, based on publicly available data? Are there measures related to stress and/or mental health outcomes that can be captured
through alternative sources, such as passive data (i.e., biomedical data collected through apps, phones, fitbits)?

b. What are the core capabilities and other skills necessary for the technical science industries, including positions in occupational safety and health, particularly as we consider the skills for the future and building the pipeline among different demographic groups?

Offerors may propose other research questions within scope of an aforementioned theme.

The Initiative has two phases, which will be awarded in succession.

In Phase 1, offerors are expected to familiarize themselves with agency needs, to find and
engage relevant data assets, to conduct initial exploratory analyses, and to develop larger-scale
research agendas.

During Phase 1, offerors are expected to connect with participating federal agencies through
conference calls, including virtual meetings, which will be scheduled at the beginning, middle,
and end of the period of performance, and give presentations of research progress. 

At the end of Phase 1, offerors will give a final presentation to relevant federal stakeholders
and deliver a complete research plan, which must contain (at a minimum) relevant literature
reviews, exploratory data analyses, preliminary findings, and future research plans.

Phase 2 seeks to provide resources to conduct larger scale research and analyses. Phase 2 will
be released by a separate funding mechanism and open to all offerors regardless of receiving a
Phase 1 contract.

All organizations and institutions registered to receive contracts at www.sam.gov may submit an offer. All awards will be firm fixed price and may not exceed $75,000.  Proposed budgets for Phase 1 projects may not exceed $75,000 and up to $1.0 million in Phase 1 contracts subject to the availability of funding.

Multiple awards under this BAA are possible. The National Science Foundation (NSF) reserves
the right to select for negotiation all, some, one, or none of the proposals received in response
to this BAA and to make awards without discussions with offerors. NSF reserves the right to
negotiate contract types, structures, deliverables, terms and conditions, and all other aspects of
the proposal with all or any apparent winners. Additionally, NSF reserves the right to accept
proposals in their entirety or to select only portions for award. In the event NSF desires to
award only portions of a proposal, negotiations may be opened with the offerors.