NSF STEM K-12 (STEM K-12)

Overview:

The NSF STEM K-12 program in the Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL) in the Directorate for STEM Education (EDU) supports fundamental, applied, and translational research that advances STEM teaching and learning and improves understanding of education across the human lifespan and a range of formal and informal settings.

The NSF STEM K-12 program encourages multidisciplinary collaborations that bring together expertise and methodological approaches from various fields, including education research, social and behavioral sciences, implementation sciences, computer science, and all STEM disciplines. In addition, the program encourages partnerships that integrate perspectives from education research, education practice, and industry, as well as perspectives of learners and other critical stakeholders who would benefit from the work.

The program also welcomes quantitative, qualitative, mixed method approaches, and a range of research and/or development efforts across broad areas of scientific inquiry, including but not limited to:

• foundational studies that advance theory or build new conceptual frameworks related to STEM learning and teaching;
• design-based research that iteratively develops and refines learning environments, instructional models, systems, or approaches;
• projects aimed at cultivating the skills, dispositions, and knowledge needed to succeed in computer science, AI pathways, and technology careers, and more generally build capacity in the STEM workforce;
• development and study of innovations for teaching and learning (e.g., curricula, assessments, professional learning resources, technologies, media, etc.) for any STEM field;
• investigations of teaching and learning processes, including cognitive, motivational, or social aspects of learning;
• development and use of advanced research methods and analytical frameworks and tools, such as data science methods and machine learning, to study learning at scale or in complex learning environments; and
• the study of deeper learning and more effective teaching to create opportunities for all Americans everywhere.

Other information:

Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. submitting organization's local time): Proposals Accepted Anytime

Important Information And Revision Notes
The following solicitations are currently archived. Investigators who would have applied to these programs are particularly encouraged to consider NSF STEM K-12.

• Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL)
• Computer Science for All (CSforAll)
• Discovery Research PreK-12 (DRK-12)
• Translation and Diffusion (TD)

Investigators who would typically submit to the EDU Core Research (ECR) solicitation for research in K-12 and informal settings are encouraged to apply to NSF STEM K-12. ECR will only accept proposals for DUE and DGE focused projects.

Award: Suggested ranges for funding requests of STEM K-12 proposals under this solicitation are as follows: (1) Research and/or Development proposals: $350,000 to $750,000 with a duration of two to three years; and (2) Conference proposals: $25,000 to $99,000 with a duration of up to two years. Proposals that contain budgets significantly beyond these ranges may be returned without review.

Expanding K-12 Resources for AI Education (DCL)

Overview:

Invites supplemental funding requests to current NSF awardees in certain NSF directorates to support the expansion of K-12 resources for AI education.

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has made extensive investments in fundamental research, center-scale institutes, technology transition, outreach, and education related to the science and applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI). This Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) seeks to build upon these investments to advance the goals of the Executive Order on Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth by providing resources for K-12 AI education. To advance the goals of the executive order, NSF will accept supplemental funding proposals from existing awardees with K-12 AI or computer science education experience to refine, scale, evaluate, and/or implement established K-12 activities. Further information about eligible awardees specific to their NSF Directorate can be found at the end of this DCL. Supplement proposals should be for specific and focused educational efforts at the K-12 level that address age-appropriate AI education/literacy, and/or the use of technologies in AI education to facilitate adoption by educational partners. Activities with the potential to be implemented in classrooms within 12 months of the supplement award date will be prioritized for funding.

The proposed efforts should align with one or more of the following themes:

• Theme 1: Teacher professional development — extend capacity and reach of teacher professional development programs for AI education that equip K-12 teachers to incorporate AI education into their existing lesson plans/curricula and/or prepare teachers to offer new AI course content or classes.
• Theme 2: Curricula and instructional materials — refine, evaluate, and/or scale activities for K-12 students that cover AI topics and/or that provide instruction on how to use specific AI tools to solve real-world challenges. Materials should be connected to particular AI concepts, essential knowledge and/or skills, and tied to a specific grade level.
• Theme 3: Technology and tools — refine, evaluate, and/or scale infrastructure, tools, or services that bring AI into the K-12 classroom or in other instructional settings to improve teaching and learning in any subject.
• Theme 4: Networks — design/develop/expand organizational structures that provide resources and facilitate communication, collaboration, and knowledge sharing for AI education among researchers and K-12 education practitioners within and across their communities.

Compelling proposals will clearly describe a timeline for the work and demonstrate how implementation and impacts of existing efforts will be enhanced by the requested supplemental support. Target outcomes should highlight resources that educators can successfully use “out of the box,” without need for sustained external personnel, engineers, programmers, or other technical support staff. The project should demonstrate the capacity for longer-term sustainable impact through a plan for implementation with one or more education partners, e.g., school system(s), education nonprofit organization(s), museum(s), other public or private providers of K-12 education services, or relevant online repositories. Proposals should detail how the proposed implementation plan enables the broader dissemination of those products.

Depending on the objectives of the existing award, the original team may lack an educator or education researcher with expertise in K-12 education. Proposals for supplemental funding under this DCL may request support for additional appropriate personnel.

The proposed activities should connect to existing AI education efforts, frameworks around AI education, and/or the use of AI tools.

PARTICIPATING NSF PROGRAMS

• Directorate for Computer & Information Science and Engineering--Awardees whose projects have significant K-12 AI or Computer Science education components are eligible to apply for a supplement. Prospective CISE awardees interested in applying for supplemental funding in response to this DCL must contact a CISE PO through the CISE Computing Education Research program, contact e-mail, [email protected].
• Directorate for Engineering--Awardees from Engineering Research Centers (ERCs), Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers (IUCRCs), as well as from the IUSE/PFE:RED, PFE:RIEF, RET, and REU programs, may apply for a supplement to their active award to extend activities relevant to K-12 AI education. PIs considering submission of a supplement request are strongly encouraged to consult with their managing Program Officer to ensure program fit.
• Directorate for Geosciences--Awardees from Geosciences programs must contact their cognizant program officer.
• Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences--Awardees from MPS centers, institutes, and facilities, as well as from DMS programs, are eligible to apply for a supplement to their award if that award includes established activities in K-12 AI education. Prospective applicants are required to contact their cognizant program officer prior to submission.
• Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences--All awardees of SBE grants are eligible to apply for a supplement to their award if that award includes established activities in K-12 that connect to existing AI education efforts, frameworks around AI education, and/or the use of AI tools. Prospective applicants are required to contact their cognizant program officer prior to submission.
• Directorate for STEM Education--Awardees from any EDU program with projects that have existing K-12 AI education components are eligible to apply for a supplement. Prospective applicants are required to contact their cognizant program officer prior to submission and send a 1-page project summary by email.
• Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships--Awardees from the TIP Directorate are encouraged to contact their cognizant program officer.

Other information:

COGNIZANT PROGRAM OFFICERS: The participating Directorates may prioritize different types of K-12 educational activity. Therefore, prospective PIs are strongly encouraged to consult with the cognizant program officer of their existing award prior to submitting a supplemental funding request, and to contact an NSF AI in Education and Workforce (AIEW) Program Officer at [email protected]. To help ensure timely processing, PIs should inform their NSF point of contact by e-mail when the proposal is submitted.

FUNDING LIMITS: Budget requests may be up to 20% of the original award budget with a maximum of $300,000, but PIs are strongly advised to consult with their cognizant program officer or an NSF AI in Education and Workforce (AIEW) program officer at this alias: [email protected] to understand specific funding targets. The budget request must be accompanied by budget justifications corresponding to the efforts designed to lead to successful implementation.

ELIGIBILITY: Please refer to the list below of NSF Directorates and their respective programs participating in this DCL.

DEADLINES: Consideration of supplemental support requests submitted after December 1, 2025, is subject to continuation of this funding opportunity.

GIF for Researchers

Overview:

We seek out innovations with the greatest potential to improve the lives of millions of people living in poverty. The Global Innovation Fund finds and funds innovations with the greatest potential to transform the lives of people living on less than $5 a day. Since 2014, we have proudly backed a diverse portfolio of innovations tackling a range of development challenges. We use our funding to support innovators to prove out the impact of their solution and achieve greater scale.

At GIF, we believe that innovation can come from anyone, anywhere, and we especially encourage applications from developing countries themselves. Any type of organisation may apply. This includes social enterprises, for-profit companies, non-profit organisations, government agencies, and research institutions in any country. Individual innovators, entrepreneurs or researchers must apply through an affiliated organisation.

Evidence is essential to innovation and we are committed to promoting smart, evidence-led investing. Research plays a central role: as a source of innovative ideas, and as a tool for assessing their impact, cost-effectiveness and scalability. We are very interested in supporting policy reforms that could improve the equity or efficiency of public sector performance. We support investments in public, private and non-profit activities, using all available financial instruments.

GIF construes “innovation” broadly, to include behavioural nudges and organisational innovations as well as hardware and software. Some examples include:

• The Behavioural Insight Team’s work on improving tax compliance
• A training system for skills and entrepreneurship developed by Educate!, an Ugandan organisation
• Segovia’s system for facilitating cash transfers to vulnerable populations
• Simprint’s rugged biometric identification system
• Sparkmeter’s technologies to promote access to electricity

The role of research and evidence at GIF
Evidence is at the heart of GIF’s staged approach to investment. GIF takes well-informed risks in pursuit of high social benefits. To do so, we embed learning into each investment. We want to know things like: does this innovation improve poor people’s well-being? How? Under what conditions? By how much? Does it promote gender equality? Is it cost-effective? How sensitive is demand to income and price? The answers will guide decisions by GIF and others on whether and how to scale up the innovations.

Types of research supported
While many of GIF’s projects involve randomised controlled trials, GIF is not dogmatic on research methodology. We seek the techniques — or combination of techniques — that will best address the questions at hand. Our smaller, pilot-stage projects focus on proof of concept, and might, for instance, include field-testing for efficacy or assessing household demand for a new product. Test and transition projects generally aim at rigorously assessing impact or cost-effectiveness, together with getting insight on factors affecting further scale-up, or replication in other settings.

Criteria for funding
Innovation: Research should promote real world implementation of an innovative approach to an important development challenge. Innovations are things that make it easier, faster, less costly, or otherwise more feasible to achieve a development result than current practice. This includes testing to see if a result demonstrated in one context applies in others.

Potential impact: GIF is looking for innovations that make a big difference. These are innovations that, if scaled up or replicated, could make a substantial difference to millions of lives, or perhaps a transformative difference to hundreds of thousands. Target innovations have social benefits that far outweigh social costs.

Poverty focus: Target innovations are those that can improve the lives of those living at $5/day, and especially those subsisting on less than $2/day. This criterion is applied at the level of the beneficiary. So while GIF works mostly in low-income countries or provinces, it could consider, for instance, innovations that help impoverished slum-dwellers in a middle-income country.

Potential for and pathway to scale: GIF wants to support ideas that scale up. There are many potential paths to scale, including:

• Organic growth of a for-profit or non-profit organisation
• Demonstration of an innovation that gets taken up by the public sector, e.g. in health or education delivery
• Creation of an open-source innovation that is spontaneously emulated

Researchers are not necessarily expected to be the agents who scale up an innovation. However, research questions should be framed so that the answers inform decisions about whether and how to scale up the innovation. At the pilot stage, applicants should be able to specify one or more potential pathways to scale, but GIF recognises that there may be considerable uncertainty at this stage. At the Test & Transition stage, GIF expects applicants to specify potential pathways to scale, and more favourably views applicants with progress towards securing support from partners for scaling the innovation, should it test successfully.

The quality of the team is an important criterion for selection. Teams should be able to demonstrate strong knowledge of the problems they are addressing and an understanding of the setting in which the innovation will be tested. GIF encourages applications from women and from researchers and organisations based in developing countries.

Measuring success and sharing lessons learned. GIF is interested in assessing the causal impact of innovations on outcomes closely related to people’s well-being. GIF is also keenly interested in cost-effectiveness. GIF looks for a commitment to share results and lessons. While GIF’s research goal is improving people’s lives, not publication for its own sake, GIF encourages publication of results in academic journals where appropriate.

No basic or laboratory research. GIF doesn’t support theoretical research or laboratory-based research.

Solicitation limitations:

Applicants can only submit one initial application for each project or idea, but an organisation may submit more than one application at a time if each application is for a different innovation.

Other information:

Award amounts:

• Pilot grant: up to $230,000
• Test and transition grant: up to $2.3 million
• Team up with an innovation being implemented by a government, business, or NGO: up to $15 million

Deadlines: Our open application window opens four times a year – in March, June, September and December.
Apply for funding link
FAQs link

Causal Research on Community Safety and the Criminal Justice System

Overview:

Arnold Ventures (AV) is a nonpartisan philanthropy whose core mission is to invest in evidence-based solutions that maximize opportunity and minimize injustice. AV focuses on correcting system failures in the United States through evidence-based solutions.  AVs’ Criminal Justice Initiative seeks to generate new evidence to inform policies that will make communities safer and make the criminal justice system more fair and effective. 

This Request for Proposals (RFP) from the Criminal Justice Initiative (CJI) seeks letters of interest to conduct causal research projects of policies, practices, and interventions related to community safety and the criminal justice system. 

Looking for a research idea? Check out this list of recently-passed policies in the crime/criminal justice space. 

To be eligible to submit through this funding opportunity, research projects must adhere to the following criteria: 

• Propose a strong causal research design, which can reliably and validly isolate the treatment effect of a policy, practice, or intervention. Examples of such research designs include difference-in-differences, regression discontinuity, instrumental variable, and randomization. 
• The policy, practice, or intervention being tested is in the United States. 
• Outcomes include measures of real-world behaviors (such as crime rates or criminal justice involvement), as opposed to measures collected in a controlled lab setting or measures of perceptions. 

Submissions are welcome across all issues of crime and criminal justice that meet the above criteria. The ultimate goal of this RFP is to build credible evidence on policies, practices, and interventions that can improve crime and justice system outcomes and grow the number of policies and practices rigorously shown to produce improvements in community safety and to make the justice system fairer and more effective. 

We will prioritize studies that: 

• Focus on interventions where there is a clear path to federal and/or state policy adoption or implementation.  Is there a state or federal policy lever available to scale this intervention? 
• Outcomes are measured using administrative data, where they exist. 
• Are led by researchers who have not previously received funding from Arnold Ventures as the primary or principal investigator, or are early-career/junior researchers (those who received their PhD in the past 6 years).

Other information:

We aim to expand the pool of researchers doing causal research in the criminal justice system.  Thus, we are seeking applicants from a variety of backgrounds and with a variety of experiences and perspectives.  We strongly encourage researchers who are new to causal research, including those who have not previously received funding from Arnold Ventures or who have been impacted by the systems we are seeking to change, to participate in this funding opportunity.  All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender identity or expression, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, military/veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL)

Overview:

The Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) Program is committed to funding research and practice, with continued focus on investigating a range of informal STEM learning (ISL) experiences and environments that make lifelong learning a reality. This program seeks proposals that center engagement, broadening participation, and belonging, and further the well-being of individuals and communities who have been and continue to be excluded, under-served, or underrepresented in STEM along several dimensions. The current solicitation encourages proposals from institutions and organizations that serve public audiences, and specifically focus on public engagement with and understanding of STEM, including community STEM; public participation in scientific research (PPSR); science communication; intergenerational STEM engagement; and STEM media.

Projects funded by AISL should contribute to research and practice that further illuminates informal STEM learning's role in engagement, broadening participation, and belonging in STEM; personal and educational success in STEM; advancing public engagement in scientific discovery; fostering interest in STEM careers; creating and enhancing the theoretical and empirical foundations for effective informal STEM learning; improving community vibrancy; and/or enhancing science communication and the public's engagement in and understanding of STEM and STEM processes.

The AISL Program funds five types of projects: (1) Synthesis; (2) Conference; (3) Partnership Development and Planning; (4) Integrating Research and Practice; and (5) Research in Support of Wide-reaching Public Engagement with STEM.

AISL GOALS FOR PROPOSALS
This section describes six goals that the AISL Program views as essential across its funding portfolio. PIs are encouraged to consider these goals to help guide their proposed work. Note that all proposals must explicitly address the first three goals: (1) Learning in Informal Experiences and Environments, (2) Advancing the Knowledge Base of Informal STEM Learning, and (3) Broadening Participation in STEM. Certain project types (described below) may require addressing additional goals. Unless specified, submitters can use their judgment and determine the extent to which AISL Goals #4-6 apply to their project.

1. Learning STEM in Informal Experiences and Environments (required of all proposals)
2. Advancing the Knowledge Base of Informal STEM Learning (required of all proposals)
3. Broadening Participation in STEM (required of all proposals)
4. Intentionally Community/Practitioner Driven
5. Professional Capacity Building & Informal STEM Infrastructure
6. Support Learners' Participation in and Understanding of STEM practices

Other information:

Anticipated Funding Amount: Limits for funding requests and duration of AISL proposals under this solicitation are as follows: 
(1) Synthesis projects: $100,000 to $500,000 with a duration up to three years;
 (2) Conference projects: $75,000 to $250,000 with a duration up to two years; 
(3) Partnership Development and Planning projects: $50,000 to $150,000 with a duration of one to one and one-half years; 
(4) Integrating Research and Practice projects: $250,000 to $2,000,000 with a duration of two to five years; and 
(5) Research in Support of Wide-reaching Public Engagement with STEM projects: $1,000,000 to $3,500,000 with a duration of two to five years.

Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Directorate for STEM Education (IUSE: EDU)

Overview:

Note: This call announcement for Institutional and Community Transformation (Capacity-Building and Level 1) proposals and Engaged Student Learning (Level 1) proposals only.

All projects supported by IUSE: EDU must: 

• Demonstrate a strong rationale for project objectives or incorporate and build on educational practices that are demonstrably effective 
• Contribute to the development of exemplary undergraduate STEM education 
• Add to the body of knowledge about what works in undergraduate STEM education and the conditions that lead to improved STEM teaching and learning 
• Measure project progress and achievement of project goals 

To accomplish these goals, IUSE: EDU projects may focus their activities at any level, including the student, faculty, institutional or community levels. Development, propagation, adaptation, and transferability of evidence-based practices are also important considerations. Projects should consider designing materials and practices for use in a wide variety of institutions or institutional types. Topics of interest to the IUSE: EDU program include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• Development and study of the efficacy of innovative teaching and learning practices and resources 
• Development, testing, and dissemination of instruments for measuring student outcomes 
• Efforts to increase the diversity of the STEM workforce including K-12 teachers and/or the faculty and institutions engaged in work to improve undergraduate STEM education 
• Faculty professional development to increase the use of evidence-based teaching practices 
• Implementation of and research on sustained change processes involved in adopting evidence-based and effective instruction within or across departments, disciplines, or institutions 
• Efforts to achieve STEM educational goals through innovative partnerships, for example with community organizations, local, regional, or national industries, centers for teaching and learning, professional societies, or libraries, 
• Propagating and sustaining transformative and effective STEM teaching and learning through institutional practices or involvement of professional societies 

The IUSE: EDU program features two tracks:

Track 1: Engaged Student Learning
The Engaged Student Learning (ESL) track focuses on design, development, and research projects that involve the creation, exploration, or implementation of tools, resources, and models. Projects must show high potential to increase student engagement and learning in STEM. Projects may focus directly on students or indirectly serve students through faculty professional development or research on teaching and learning. Whatever the focus, all projects should be both evidence-based and knowledge-generating, with well-developed plans to study student experiences and evaluate student outcomes. 
 
Track 2: Institutional and Community Transformation
The Institutional and Community Transformation (ICT) track funds innovative work applying evidence-based practices that improve undergraduate STEM education and research on the organizational change processes involved in implementing evidence-based practices. The emphasis of this track is on systemic change that may be measured at the departmental, institutional, or multi-institutional level, or across communities of STEM educators and/or educational researchers.

Solicitation limitations:

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI or co-PI: 3 
An individual may serve as PI or co-PI on no more than three IUSE: EDU proposals submitted during the period of October 1 through September 30. This eligibility constraint will be strictly enforced. In the event that an individual exceeds this limit, proposals will be accepted based on earliest date and time of proposal submission (i.e., the first three proposals will be accepted and the remainder will be returned without review). No exceptions will be made.

Other information:

Awards:
ESL Level 1 projects have a maximum award of $400,000 and a maximum duration of three years.

ICT Level 1 proposals have a maximum award size of $400,000 and a maximum duration of three years. 

ICT Capacity-Building proposals may be submitted as individual or collaborative projects. The maximum award size is $200,000 for a single institution proposal or $400,000 for a multi-institution proposal. The maximum duration of both single and multi-institutional proposals is two years.

EDU program team will host webinars in which key features and expectations of the IUSE: EDU program will be discussed. Information about the webinars will be posted to the IUSE: EDU program webpage.

Causal Research on Community Safety and the Criminal Justice System

Overview:

Arnold Ventures (AV) is a nonpartisan philanthropy whose core mission is to invest in evidence-based solutions that maximize opportunity and minimize injustice. AV focuses on correcting system failures in the United States through evidence-based solutions. AVs’ Criminal Justice Initiative seeks to generate new evidence to inform policies that will make communities safer and make the criminal justice system more fair and effective.

This Request for Proposals (RFP) from the Criminal Justice Initiative (CJI) seeks letters of interest to conduct causal research projects of policies, practices, and interventions related to community safety and the criminal justice system.

Looking for a research idea? Check out this list of recently-passed policies in the crime/criminal justice space.

To be eligible to submit through this funding opportunity, research projects must adhere to the following criteria:

• Propose a strong causal research design, which can reliably and validly isolate the treatment effect of a policy, practice, or intervention. Examples of such research designs include difference-in-differences, regression discontinuity, instrumental variable, and randomization.
• The policy, practice, or intervention being tested is in the United States.
• Outcomes include measures of real-world behaviors (such as crime rates or criminal justice involvement), as opposed to measures collected in a controlled lab setting or measures of perceptions.

Submissions are welcome across all issues of crime and criminal justice that meet the above criteria. The ultimate goal of this RFP is to build credible evidence on policies, practices, and interventions that can improve crime and justice system outcomes and grow the number of policies and practices rigorously shown to produce improvements in community safety and to make the justice system fairer and more effective.

We will prioritize studies that:

• Focus on interventions where there is a clear path to federal and/or state policy adoption or implementation. Is there a state or federal policy lever available to scale this intervention?
• Outcomes are measured using administrative data, where they exist.
• Are led by researchers who have not previously received funding from Arnold Ventures as the primary or principal investigator, or are early-career/junior researchers (those who received their PhD in the past 6 years).

Other information:

We ask interested researchers to submit a letter of interest for AV consideration (maximum of three pages). Applicants whose letters are reviewed favorably, based on the eligibility and prioritization criteria above, will be invited to submit a full proposal (full proposals must be invited). There is no deadline for submitting a letter of interest. 

Arnold Ventures anticipates that project budgets will depend on a variety of factors, including the complexity of the data acquisition and analysis plans, the number of study sites, and the study timeline. While there is no budget ceiling or fixed period of performance for applications received under this RFP, we expect to support projects that align with a typical CJI research project that has a median budget of $500,000 spread over 3-4 years.

FY25 Office of Naval Research (ONR) Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematic (STEM) Education and Workforce Program

Overview:

This NOFO is for STEM education programs and activities, which is formal or informal education that is primarily focused on physical and natural sciences, technology, engineering, social sciences, and mathematics disciplines, topics, or issues (including environmental science education or stewardship). 

STEM education programs and activities that could be supported by this NOFO include one or more of the following as the primary objective: 

• Develop learners’ knowledge, skill, or interest in STEM.
• Attract students to pursue certifications, licenses, or degrees (two-year degrees through post-doctoral degrees) or careers in STEM fields.
• Provide growth and research opportunities for post-secondary, college and graduate students inSTEM fields, such as working with researchers or conducting research that is primarily intended tofurther education.
• Improve mentor/educator (K-12 pre-service or in-service, post-secondary, and informal) quality inSTEM areas.
• Improve or expand the capacity of institutions to promote or foster STEM fields.

This NOFO will not consider applications for research, with the exception of those whose primary purpose is intended to further education (as described in third bullet above) and that are not expected to generate intellectual property. Efforts for research, including those supporting STEM, should be submitted under the current fiscal year Long Range BAA.

Other information:

Anticipated award based on previous years: up to $600,000 ($200,000 per year for no more than 3 years)

ECMC Foundation: Open Letter of Inquiry

Overview:

The Foundation is focused on improving postsecondary education outcomes so that all students have a better chance of career success. The scope of higher education includes credit-bearing career and technical education (CTE), and other two- and four-year postsecondary credentials. The Foundation focuses particularly on improving outcomes for underserved populations and is committed to evaluation and learning from our grantmaking and field expertise to drive evidence-based innovation in higher education.

The Foundation aims to drive systemic change, getting at the root causes of complex challenges in higher education, not just the symptoms. This may mean tackling the biases, institutional, system-level or state or federal policies, resource allocation and flows, and financial and life circumstances that create barriers to success for underserved learners.

Our strategic priorities represent a three-pronged approach to creating systemic change in higher education that includes creating immediate change by removing obstacles that stand in the way of learner success right now; equipping institutions and organizations to better serve learners; and evolving the postsecondary ecosystem over time to become more adaptive, resilient, and capable of delivering better college completion outcomes for all students.

• Removing barriers to postsecondary completion--We bolster programs that directly support learner success by meeting the unique needs, goals and aspirations of today’s learners
• Building the capacity of organizations, systems and institutions--We strengthen the capacity of higher education institutions, systems, and other support and service organizations to improve outcomes for today’s learners and evolve to meet the changing needs of learners.
• Transforming the postsecondary ecosystem--We support large-scale, cross-sector collaborations and innovations that have the potential to transform the postsecondary ecosystem so that more students, especially those farthest from opportunity, have a better chance of earning a postsecondary degree or credential.

Growing Our Initiatives
To drive systemic change, we focus a substantial portion of our strategic grantmaking and program-related investments on initiatives. As the Foundation evolves in its learning, existing initiatives will grow and new initiatives will be developed. An initiative represents the Foundation’s commitment to working toward systemic change in or through an area of the postsecondary ecosystem. All grantmaking and investing related to an initiative will be strategically connected to the initiative. 

Established initiatives include:

1. Basic Needs Initiative -- Our multipronged approach aims to decrease the percentage of postsecondary students experiencing basic needs insecurity by 10% by 2033.
   Strategies for Action: To realize this ambitious-but-possible goal, ECMC Foundation addresses basic needs insecurity in postsecondary education by supporting programs and solutions that align with the following strategies.
   1. Growing Data Capacity: Incorporate use of data to understand effectiveness of basic needs interventions on student experiences, nonacademic outcomes and academic outcomes.
   2. Scaling Effective Practices: Leverage, improve and modernize local, state and federally funded basic needs services that align to the evolving needs of today’s students and expand use of services.
   3. Informing Policy Reform: Advance the understanding of policy change to remove structural barriers to basic needs services and promote student success.
2. CTE Leadership Collaborative Initiative -- The CTE Leadership Collaborative (LC) Initiative brings together diverse perspectives and equips postsecondary career and technical education (CTE) leaders with the tools, resources and skills needed to advance the field. Across the country, there is a critical shortage of qualified workers needed to fill middle-skill jobs—jobs that require more education and training than a high school diploma, but less than a four-year college degree. Many of the middle-skill jobs in high-demand industries, like manufacturing, information technology and healthcare, pay family-sustaining wages and can be accessed by attaining postsecondary career and technical education (CTE) credentials. While CTE programs in high-demand fields exist, the quality and outcomes of programs vary, research and awareness of best practices are limited, and leadership and professional development opportunities are uncommon.
3. Rural Impact Initiative -- In response to sparse data and wide-ranging potential impact, the Rural Impact Initiative aims to enhance the field’s understanding of the unique opportunities, assets and challenges of rural postsecondary institutions and learners and to ultimately increase completion rates and build the capacity of organizations, institutions and systems to support rural learners.
4. Parenting Student Success Initiative -- By funding and supporting the work of grantee partners, ECMC Foundation strives to make strategic investments so that parenting students can realize their educational dreams, fostering a brighter and more equitable future for them and their children. 

Remaining Strategically Responsive 
In addition to our initiatives, we make grants and investments through our open letter of inquiry process. As we pursue systemic change in the postsecondary ecosystem, we remain committed to funding evidence-based innovation with the flexibility to adapt as the higher education landscape evolves. We reserve funding for projects that do not fit within one of our established initiatives but are connected to one or more of our strategic priorities.

Our Commitment to Learning and Evaluation
As part of our commitment to embodying a culture of humility and responsiveness, learning and evaluation is evolving and increasing its role significantly through our strategic framework. Learning and evaluation is a driving influence of initiative strategies to ensure that the work within each initiative is moving toward the initiative goals, advancing a learning agenda and is aligning to one or more strategic priorities.

In recent years, ECMC Foundation has strengthened attention to learning and evaluation and is developing a robust approach befitting the growth of the Foundation’s grantmaking and our strategic focus on systemic change. This approach will be ongoing and iterative, incorporating data from applications, reports and conversations with grantees to make evidenced-based decisions. Centered in equity and focused on systemic change, learning and evaluation is being integrated into the entire strategy development and works in close partnership with the grantmaking and investing teams. Grantees are essential partners in all stages of the Foundation’s learning and evaluation processes.

Other information:

ECMC Foundation makes grants and investments with durations ranging from one year to five years and amounts from $50,000 to over one million dollars. The grant period and funding amount varies based on the proposed request, however our average grant duration is two years and our average grant size is $500,000.

All new requests for funding will be required to meet one or more of the strategic priorities under the strategic framework.

LOI Deadline: ECMC Foundation’s open application and rolling deadline make us unique among national foundations. Our LOI process is open, meaning organizations do not need to be invited to apply. Each LOI, whether solicited or not, is processed the same way internally. And there’s no specific timeline for submission – LOIs are accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis (all year long), which means there are no deadlines or missed windows of opportunity.

Change Happens Foundation Grant

Overview:

The Change Happens Foundation is dedicated to forging a brighter future where innovation aligns with the pillars of environmental stewardship, education, and human services. We strategically invest in initiatives that catalyze systemic and sustainable solutions to environmental challenges, aiming to ignite a ripple effect of change for a healthier, more resilient world. In the realm of education, we champion diversity, equity, and inclusion, empowering women and underrepresented communities by dismantling barriers and cultivating opportunities that fuel aspirations and transformative change. Our human services focus addresses nutrition and support, combatting food insecurity and enhancing community health through strategic funding that empowers and nurtures long-term well-being. Each initiative is a step toward a legacy that values courage, collaboration, and impactful change, ensuring a thriving planet and equitable society for future generations.

We prioritize supporting organizations that operate nationwide or globally, aiming to create significant impact across the country and beyond. Additionally, we occasionally offer smaller community grants to initiatives within specific regions, including Iowa, the San Francisco Bay Area, Santa Barbara County, the Puget Sound area, and Portland.

Additionally, one catalytic international grant is awarded each quarter to support disadvantaged regions globally.

Solicitation limitations:

To be considered for funding, organizations must have a current 501(c)(3) Public Charity status, be a recognized government entity, or an IRS-recognized tribe. 

Other information:

Sponsor Deadline: Rolling Deadline for LOIs

Letter of Inquiry (LOI): Initiate your application by submitting a Letter of Inquiry through our portal. This step helps assess whether your project matches our current priorities and budget.

Proposal Submission: Following a positive review, selected applicants will be invited to submit a detailed proposal for further consideration and meet virtually with a Co-Executive Director prior to a full board vote.

Our grants do not cover indirect costs such as processing or fiscal sponsor fees. Applicants will need to secure other resources for such expenses.