Early Childhood Welfare, Early Childhood Education and Play, and Parenting Education

Overview:

The Caplan Foundation for Early Childhood is an incubator of promising research and development projects that appear likely to improve the welfare of young children, from infancy through 7 years, in the United States. Welfare is broadly defined to include physical and mental health, safety, nutrition, education, play, familial support, acculturation, societal integration and childcare.

Grants are only made if a successful project outcome will likely be of significant interest to other professionals, within the grantee’s field of endeavor, and would have a direct benefit and potential national application. The Foundation’s goal is to provide seed money to implement those imaginative proposals that exhibit the greatest chance of improving the lives of young children, on a national scale. Because of the Foundation’s limited funding capability, it seeks to maximize a grant's potential impact.

The Foundation provides funding in the following areas:
Early Childhood Welfare - Children can only reach their full potential when all aspects of their intellectual, emotional and physical development are optimally supported. Providing a safe and nurturing environment is essential as is imparting the skills of social living in a culturally diverse world. Therefore, the Foundation supports projects that seek to perfect child rearing practices and to identify models that can provide creative, caring environments in which all young children thrive.

Early Childhood Education and Play - Research shows that children need to be stimulated as well as nurtured, early in life, if they are to succeed in school, work and life. That preparation relates to every aspect of a child’s development, from birth to age seven, and everywhere a child learns – at home, in childcare settings and in preschool. We seek to improve the quality of both early childhood teaching and learning, through the development of innovative curricula and research based pedagogical standards, as well as the design of imaginative play materials and learning environments.

Parenting Education - To help parents create nurturing environments for their children, we support programs that teach parents about developmental psychology, cultural child rearing differences, pedagogy, issues of health, prenatal care and diet, as well as programs which provide both cognitive and emotional support to parents.

Furthermore, the Foundation will only fund grant applications that define measurable outcomes, include credible methods for documenting and assessing results, provide for financial accountability in the application of funds, and include detailed, prudent implementation budgets.

There are many proposals that we do not consider because they do not meet the criteria stated in our website. We strive to fund ideas that are adventurous, thoughtful and challenge the status quo. They should have a fresh concept (not rehash an older idea) and a defined method of implementation that promotes new approaches and understanding of early childhood and pushes the boundaries of academic, social and cultural studies and practices.

The Foundation employs a two-step grant application process that includes the submission of both a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) and a Full Proposal–the latter only by those applicants requested to do so. This ensures that consideration of Full Proposals is limited to those applications that strictly comply with the Foundation’s programmatic guidelines.

Once a Letter of Inquiry is received by the Foundation, the Directors will determine if the proposed program fits the Foundation’s funding guidelines. Successful applicants will be invited via email to submit Full Proposals.

Global Fund for Children - Partnerships

Overview:

At the core of our model are our partnerships with courageous, dynamic organizations that are improving the lives of children and youth in the heart of their own communities.

We eagerly look for new organizations to partner with across the globe, based on our regional strategies, and particularly when we launch and expand thematic and regional initiatives. Please explore information about our regional strategies and initiatives in Africa, the Americas, Europe and Eurasia, and Asia.

We are committed to selecting partners who align with our values and our mission, and who will leverage the greatest benefit from their partnership with GFC. We use the following eligibility criteria and selection guidelines to help us keep this commitment.

• Know their community and live or work in the areas they serve
• Aim to improve the lives of children and youth
• Embrace discovery, learning, and getting better at what they do
• Appreciate that they can’t make change alone and see themselves as part of a larger system
• Address any of our thematic focus areas of education, freedom from violence and exploitation, gender equity, or youth empowerment
• Have local nonprofit or charitable status and can accept international funds or have a fiscal sponsor that can
• Protect children and youth with a safeguarding policy or agree to implement one

Since we can only fund a small number of courageous groups around the world, we are especially interested in organizations with these characteristics:

• Their vision for change might affect all young people in their area, but they focus on children and youth who are excluded because of their race, gender, gender identity, social class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, national origin, where they live, or other factors
• Young people have founded or lead the organization or have important roles in it
• They are eager to measure the outcomes and impact of their work and excited to get better at it; they have already seen positive change from the work they do
• They look at old problems in new ways, take smart risks, and are creative and flexible to respond to change
• They understand the power of connections with many types of actors to make change and seek to grow their network
• They believe young people can influence decisions affecting their lives and should raise their voices and claim their rights
• They understand that advocacy is a powerful tool to change mindsets, norms, and policies and know what it means for them

If your organization is interested in being considered for future Global Fund for Children partner support, you may submit a brief organizational profile using this online form (https://globalfundforchildren.org/how-to-become-a-partner/organizational-profile-english/) at any time. Completing the form is quick and easy. Many of our current partners first introduced themselves to us this way. Please be aware that we will likely only contact you if and when we have funding that matches your organizational profile.

Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI Program)

Overview:

The goals of the HSI program are to enhance the quality of undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and to increase the recruitment, retention, and graduation rates of students pursuing associate's or baccalaureate degrees in STEM. Achieving these, given the diverse nature and context of the HSIs, requires additional strategies that support building capacity at HSIs through innovative approaches: to incentivize institutional and community transformation; and to promote fundamental research (i) on engaged student learning, (ii) about what it takes to diversify and increase participation in STEM effectively, and (iii) that improves our understanding of how to build institutional capacity at HSIs. Intended outcomes of the HSI Program include broadening participation of students that are historically underrepresented in STEM and expanding students’ pathways to continued STEM education and integration into the STEM workforce.

The HSI program accepts proposals in the following tracks:

Track 1:The Planning or Pilot Projects (PPP) track provides a funding opportunity for institutions that are new to NSF5 or are Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs6), including community colleges. The PPP has been designed to link with the other two tracks. The PPP track seeks to enhance undergraduate STEM education and build capacity at less-resourced institutions and to increase these institutions' ability to compete for NSF funding from other programs.

Planning projects in this track undertake the activities necessary to develop a future HSI program Track 2 or Track 3 proposal submission. Pilot projects in this track may be carried out to achieve a short-term, well-defined goal to enhance the availability of high-quality undergraduate STEM education at the HSI and gather preliminary data for future HSI program Track 2 or Track 3 proposals. Importantly, Pilot projects may also develop fundamental STEM education research capacity on student learning at HSIs, discovering effective means for diversifying and increasing participation in STEM. All PPP projects must include project evaluation and dissemination components.

Track 2: The Implementation and Evaluation Projects (IEP) track supports the implementation of evidence-based unit-, department-, or multi-department-level activities that will enhance the quality of undergraduate STEM education. All HSI institution types are encouraged to apply, especially PUIs (including community colleges). These projects may design and implement a new educational practice or practices, and/or adapt/replicate evidence-based practices that are already known to be effective.

IEP may conduct research that promotes one or more of the HSI program goals, including research on indicators of effective and successful undergraduate STEM education at HSIs. These projects must include both project evaluation and dissemination components, as well as an education research component. The IEP strategies are expected to be institutionalized and sustainable.

Track 3: The Institutional Transformation Projects (ITP) track supports institution-wide structural or systemic changes to enhance undergraduate STEM education at the proposing HSI. The ITP must be grounded in STEM education research and broadening participation research and be designed to make institutional infrastructure and policy changes to support long-term institutional changes that encourage and support faculty in implementing evidence-based practices that enhance student outcomes in STEM at the proposing HSI.

Under the ITP track, research (including foundational research) that improves our understanding of how to build HSI institutional capacity in STEM is encouraged. Such research should result in a strategic understanding about how the multiple components of the HSI program goals work synchronously to advance STEM education. All institution types are encouraged to apply, especially PUIs (including community colleges). Proposed activities can include adaptation of evidence-based strategies and/or the design and implementation of innovative strategies. The ITP must include both project evaluation and dissemination components, as well as an education research component. The ITP proposed structural or systemic changes are expected to be institutionalized and sustained by the HSI.

In addition to the core research of the proposed project, all tracks may support faculty research that is inter-, multi-, or trans-disciplinary, discipline-specific research, STEM education research, discipline-based STEM education research, or broadening participation research. Research may be based at their home institution, an NSF-funded research center, another institution of higher education, and/or a national laboratory. Fundamental research is particularly encouraged on engaged student learning at HSIs, and on effectively diversifying and increasing participation in STEM at HSIs. Research-related funds may be requested for undergraduate student research, supplies, equipment required to carry out the research, and faculty research development activities.

Proposed faculty research outside of the core research of the proposed project should support the overarching goals of the HSI program which seek to improve and enhance undergraduate STEM education, including undergraduate student research experiences. Proposed research should also explain how it will catalyze new faculty research activity in addition to supporting on-going faculty research activities as well as support opportunities to advance diverse students in STEM.

All projects must generate new knowledge through project evaluation activities and articulate a plan for dissemination of findings. Track 2 (IEP) and Track 3 (ITP) proposals must additionally generate new knowledge about how to improve access to and/or the quality of STEM education through a well-constructed STEM education research plan that is aligned with the project's goals. Additionally, under a specified heading, proposals must provide institutional data with a narrative explaining the institution's need for the project and its ability to enhance the quality of undergraduate STEM education.

Faculty Research Plans are no longer required as supplemental documents. However, faculty research outside of the core research of the project is still a supported activity in this program.
The Institutional Data Narrative is required and must be included as part of the Project Description with its own heading. It may not be submitted as a supplemental document.
Letters of Collaboration or Commitment are not required for Track 1 and Track 2 proposals, but they are strongly encouraged.

Solicitation limitations:

PPP track proposals will only be accepted from institutions new to NSF or Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs) including community colleges. For PUI certification, a representative of the institution submitting as a PUI proposal must sign a Certification of PUI Eligibility (see Section V below for the required template) to be included in the Supplementary Documentation section of the proposal.

Transformation Projects (ITP) track: One award and one submission per institution is allowed. Institutions with an active award are not eligible to apply to this track.

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI or co-PI: An individual may be listed as PI on only one proposal and Co-PI on at most two proposals per submission period.

Hispanic-Serving Institutions: Enriching Learning, Programs, and Student Experiences (HSI:ELPSE)

Overview:

Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) are an important component of the nation's higher education ecosystem and play a critical role in realizing the National Science Board's vision for a more diverse and capable science and engineering workforce. 

Aligned with this vision and the NSF Strategic Plan, the goals of the NSF HSI Program are to:

• Enhance the quality of undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education at HSIs.
• Increase the recruitment, retention, and graduation rates of students pursuing associates or baccalaureate degrees in STEM at HSIs.

Meeting these goals requires institutions to understand and embrace their students' strengths, challenges, and lived experiences. While this can happen in many ways and across many parts of an institution, the Hispanic Serving Institutions: Enriching Learning, Programs, and Student Experiences (HSI:ELPSE) solicitation is specifically focused on studying and improving the student experience in the following settings:

• STEM courses, particularly for students pursuing STEM degrees;
• Certificate, minor, and/or degree programs;
• Academic departments or divisions; and
• Schools and colleges that represent a part of the entire institution (e.g., a School of Engineering or a College of Natural Sciences).

Institutions are encouraged to consider how their mission and designation as an HSI could re-imagine and/or strengthen courses, degree programs, departments, or divisions. The HSI:ELPSE solicitation welcomes projects that look to implement, test and refine promising practices and/or conduct research related to broadening participation or improving recruitment, retention, graduation and other positive outcomes for undergraduates in STEM.

The HSI:ELPSE solicitation supports projects that are purposefully designed to meet students where they are, accounting for both their assets and the challenges they may face. Identities and experiences are not determined solely by membership in a single monolithic population of students (e.g., Hispanic, first-generation, commuter, etc.). Consequently, institutions are expected to use institutional data to identify equity gaps, identify areas of need, and unpack the factors that shape students' individual realities and shared experiences. Perspectives gained from these data should be central to the design of the project.

This solicitation includes the following tracks:

Implementation and Evaluation Projects (IEP): Levels 1 and 2
IEP Level 1: Up to 3 Years with a maximum budget of $500,000: Awards at this level will support early-stage or exploratory projects that look to enrich the student experience, improve teaching and learning, broaden participation in undergraduate STEM, or improve student outcomes at HSIs. While IEP Level 1 proposals should be evidence-based as discussed above, they may be more exploratory and would generally be of a smaller scale than IEP Level 2 proposals.

IEP Level 2: Up to 5 Years with a maximum budget of $1,000,000: Projects are supported for up to five years and should include efforts that are beyond the proof-of-concept stage and have potential to result in sustainable positive outcomes that align with the goals of the HSI program. Level 2 projects have a scale and scope beyond what would typically be expected for IEP Level 1 projects. Generally, proposals to the IEP track will center on one or more of the following: courses; curricular improvements; pedagogy; support structures inside and outside of the classroom; degree programs; and student pathways.

Educational Instrumentation (EI)
[NOTE: ASU is not eligible for this track, because ASU does not meet the PUI requirement/EPSCOR state locations.]

IEP Level 1 awards
Project length: Up to three years
Award Size: $500,000

IEP Level 2 awards
Project length: Up to five years ;
Award Size: $1,000,000

Solicitation limitations:

Implementation and Evaluation Proposals: Eligible institutions may submit up to a total of three IEP
proposals per solicitation deadline, regardless of level. An institution may, for example, submit three Level 1 IEP proposals, or one Level 1 IEP proposal and two Level 2 IEP proposals in the same deadline.

Implementation and Evaluation Projects proposals are limited submissions with an Internal Submission Deadline of Wednesday, November 20, 2024. InfoReady link: https://asu.infoready4.com/#freeformCompetitionDetail/1933478

Eddie Bernice Johnson Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science Initiative (NSF INCLUDES)

Overview:

With this solicitation, NSF invites proposals for five types of projects (described below)that connect and contribute to the National Network: (1) Design and Development Launch Pilots, (2) Collaborative Change Consortia, (3) Alliances, (4) Network Connectors, and (5) Conferences. Investigators planning to submit a proposal are strongly encouraged to submit a one-page description of their proposal idea to nsfincludes@nsf.gov at least three months prior to proposal submission. An INCLUDES program director with related expertise will review and provide feedback on the alignment of the idea with the solicitation.

Proposals that address broadening participation challenges not yet represented in the INCLUDES portfolio of projects are encouraged. Proposals that focus on broadening participation in STEM innovation and entrepreneurship are especially encouraged. 

1.Design & Development Launch Pilots (DDLPs) explore new strategies and models for collaborative approaches to broadening participation in STEM. Successful proposals will identify a specific broadening participation challenge to address, measurable objectives, and collaborative partners, with explanation of the role of each partnering individual or organization. Successful pilot projects will test and deliver models that enable new collaborative efforts or new approaches to advance equity and broaden participation in STEM.

DDLP activities should engage appropriate communities in testing the feasibility of a process for change, building infrastructure for collaborative change, and identifying potential mechanisms for sustaining the efforts. Teams of organizations might come together locally, regionally, nationally, by disciplinary focus, or by other multisector categories. Early in the first year, partners are expected to refine their collective commitment to a common set of objectives and plans to achieve them. No later than the second year, successful teams are expected to carry out and report on results and share findings with the National Network and other stakeholders.

DDLPs should facilitate innovative partnerships, networks, and theories of action for broadening participation in STEM, with the goal of establishing future alliances, centers, or other large-scale networks. DDLPs can explore and build capacity for the development of collaborative infrastructure. Submissions from a broad range of diverse institutional partnerships, principal investigators, and contexts are encouraged.

The INCLUDES Initiative will not consider “planning grant” proposals in this solicitation. Ideas for projects formerly funded by the INCLUDES Initiative as planning grants should be submitted as DDLP proposals.

2. Collaborative Change Consortia are networks that implement, study, and scale up systemic strategies that address a critical broadening participation challenge in STEM. Collaborative Change Consortia build the infrastructure necessary to: 1) foster collaboration, 2) broaden participation in STEM at city, state, or regional levels of impact by operationalizing the five design elements of collaborative infrastructure, and 3) contribute rigorous and innovative research to the knowledge base about broadening participation in STEM. These projects should result in research findings and sustainable, replicable models for city, state, and/or regional implementation and impact.

Consortium partners work to achieve common goals through well-defined, common objectives 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 in order to broaden participation in STEM at scale and provide new research.

Consortium proposals must include:
• 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 during the funding period and beyond;
• multi-sector partnerships and plans to build infrastructure to achieve progress on the project’s goals;
• a framework for continuous communication, data management, capacity building, networking, expansion, sustainability, and visibility of the project network;
• a plan for contributing rigorous and innovative research to the knowledge base on broadening participation in STEM;
• a plan for contributing project evaluations, data, new scientific findings/discoveries, and promising practices to the INCLUDES National Network;
• planned connections and contributions to the National Network online community and the INCLUDES Coordination Hub;
• a logic model or other heuristic that identifies outcomes reflecting the implementation of systemic change at scale and progress toward developing an inclusive STEM enterprise.

Collaborative Change Consortia may, but are not required to, build on the work of current or previously-funded INCLUDES projects. A Consortium award is not a required prerequisite to a proposal for other INCLUDES project types.

3. 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. Alliances 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 INCLUDES Coordination Hub to share project evaluations, data, new scientific findings/discoveries, and promising practices with the INCLUDES National Network and build critical knowledge that enables measurable progress toward INCLUDES goals;
• Participate in a network of peer alliances and the INCLUDES National Network to achieve INCLUDES goals; and
• Work to build connections to other organizations and broadening participation stakeholders to join in and expand the INCLUDES National Network.

4. Network Connectors initiate or maintain linkages to the INCLUDES National Network for projects or partnerships that are not currently funded by the INCLUDES Initiative. Network connector proposals may be submitted by existing NSF-funded and non-NSF funded projects seeking funding to provide or participate in: 

• new collaborations that expand the impact of active or previously-funded INCLUDES projects;
• new opportunities for collaboration across the INCLUDES National Network; 
• novel ideas to bring a community of NSF-funded projects into the INCLUDES National Network; 
• efforts to equitably scale up innovative and evidence-based approaches to broadening participation in STEM; 
• NSF-funded research activities with the goal of broadening participation in STEM; 
• development of shared goals, measures, and mutually reinforcing activities to build collaborative infrastructure for broadening participation in STEM; 
• communicating knowledge and results from the NSF broadening participation portfolio of programs and projects, NSF Center-scale activities, or other major Foundation investments; 
• or communicating findings from the science of broadening participation research community to the INCLUDES National Network, especially pertaining to new efforts to translate basic research into practice. 

Network Connectors implement connections to NSF-funded or other existing projects and evidence-based approaches. A letter of collaboration from a leader of the existing project is needed. Institutions and organizations that are new to the National Network who are looking to adopt or adapt evidence-based practices that emerged from current or previously-funded INCLUDES projects are encouraged to apply.

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

The INCLUDES Initiative will consider conference proposals on an ongoing basis. Please note that although Conference proposals may be accepted at any time, proposals received after the second Tuesday in May target date each year may not be reviewed until the next fiscal year.

Deadlines:
• Design and Development Launch Pilots, Collaborative Change Consortia, Alliances, and Network Connectors: Oct. 22, 2024
• Conferencess: May 14, 2024
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Anticipated Funding Amount: $5,500,000
for all project types in each competition year.

• Design and Development Launch Pilot proposals may request up to $300,000 per year for up to two years. Prior INCLUDES support is not required to be eligible for a DDLP award. A DDLP award is not a required prerequisite to a proposal for other INCLUDES project types.

• Collaborative Change Consortium proposals may request up to $1,000,000 per year for up to five years.

• Alliance proposals may request up to $2,000,000 per year for up to five years.

• Network Connector proposals may request up to $250,000 per year for up to two years. Requests that exceed $250,000 may be considered, depending on the description of need in the proposal and the proposed activities.

• Conference proposals may request up to $100,000 for one year. Please refer to the instructions in Section V.A. and in PAPPG Chapter II.F.9 for additional guidance on preparing conference proposals.
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The Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) is a new NSF Directorate that participates in NSF's Eddie Bernice Johnson INCLUDES Initiative. TIP engages the nation's diverse talent in strengthening and scaling use-inspired and translational research. The INCLUDES Initiative encourages the submission of proposals that focus on scaling up broadening participation innovations and entrepreneurship in STEM.

Letters of Intent are no longer required for proposal submissions.

Internal competition (InfoReady) link: https://asu.infoready4.com/#competitionDetail/1931835

Solicitation limitations:

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization:
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.

For Network Connectors, Design and Development Launch Pilots, and Conferences, full proposals must be submitted as a single submission from a lead organization, with other collaborating organizations included as subawardees.
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Limit on Number of Proposals per PI or co-PI:
An individual may serve as a PI or Co-PI on only one INCLUDES proposal per annual due date, not including conferences. Proposals that exceed the PI or Co-PI limit will be returned without review. No exceptions will be made.

A PI or co-PI of an active INCLUDES Alliance may not be a PI or co-PI on a proposal under this solicitation, if the Alliance would still be active at the start of the new award. This limit does not include conference proposals.

NSF - Research on Innovative Technologies for Enhanced Learning (RITEL)

Overview:

The purpose of the Research on Innovative Technologies for Enhanced Learning (RITEL) program is to support early-stage research in emerging technologies for teaching and learning that respond to pressing needs in authentic (real-world) educational environments. RITEL supports futureoriented exploratory and synergistic research in emerging technologies (including, but not limited to, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and immersive or augmenting technologies) for teaching and learning. The program accepts proposals that focus on learning, teaching, or a combination of both. The scope of the program is broad and includes teaching and learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and in foundational areas that enable STEM (e.g., self-regulation, literacy, communication, collaboration, creativity, and socio-emotional skills). RITEL supports research in all learning contexts (e.g., formal, informal, workplace) and for all learner populations. RITEL has a special interest in diverse learner/educator populations and in developing new educational technologies that are cost-effective for budget-limited school districts, colleges, and universities. 

Research in this program should be informed by the convergence (synthesis) of multiple disciplines: e.g., learning sciences; discipline-based education research; computer and information science and engineering; design; and cognitive, behavioral, and social sciences. These interdisciplinary areas of research could include (but are not limited to) affective computing, human-centered AI, learning analytics, social/educational robotics, intelligent conversational agents/assistants, and virtual/embodied agents. 

RITEL is an exploratory research program that serves as an incubator to support cutting-edge research in advanced learning and teaching 4 technologies. Research should be theory-driven and apply human-centered design methods to explore proof-of-concept or feasibility of innovative learning technologies in support of new learning and/or teaching experiences. Emerging and innovative technologies have the potential to reshape teaching and learning processes, which in turn can influence new technology designs. RITEL encourages projects that explore new ideas and involve risk. 

RITEL is unique in its requirement that projects must advance fundamental research in both learning (and/or teaching) and technology. 

Projects that broaden participation, expand STEM pathways, ensure educational equity, or otherwise promote diversity, inclusion, and access in STEM education and careers are strongly encouraged. RITEL encourages proposals from Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs). 

All projects must be framed in terms of a pressing need in an authentic educational environment. The research should address a meaningful and practical teaching and/or learning problem identified by educators and/or other stakeholders who have expertise in the specific context. 

This program supports a broad range of projects across: 

• Content areas: STEM and other foundational areas supported by NSF that enable STEM learning and teaching (e.g., self-regulation, literacy, communication, collaboration, creativity, curiosity, and social skills). 
• Populations and contexts: learners, teachers, mentors, educators, and other workers in formal (e.g., K12, higher education) or informal settings; and individual, collective, and collaborative learning and teaching across the lifespan. 

The primary goal should be investigating a new technology in the context of advancing teaching and/or learning. RITEL will not fund projects that are primarily about development of a technology. 

All projects must have clear research objectives that integrate teaching and/or learning and technology research to advance the respective fields (e.g., learning sciences, discipline-based education research, computer and information sciences, engineering, and/or social, cognitive, and behavioral sciences) as described below: 

Teaching and/or learning research 

• For teaching, this includes researching new teaching processes and approaches (e.g., andragogy and pedagogy). 
• For learning, this includes researching new learning processes, principles, and theories (e.g., cognitive, behavioral, affective, socio-cultural, social, epistemological, problem-based, project-based, developmental, and other perspectives). 

Technology research 

• Examples of emerging technology research include (but are not limited to): AI-driven technologies; virtual, immersive, embodied, interactive, or augmented environments; multimodal modeling/sensing of cognitive or affective states; language and speech processing; learning analytics and dashboards; and robotics. 
• The technology research must advance fields involving computer science, information science, and/or engineering. 
• It is insufficient to simply implement or test an existing technology, even if innovative. Incremental advances in existing technologies or deployment/implementation of existing technologies in novel learning contexts will not be funded through this program.

Each project will be funded for a duration of 3 years and up to $900,000.

Solicitation limitations:

An individual may participate as PI, co-PI, or other Senior Personnel in no more than one (1) proposal in response to this solicitation for each submission date. In the event that an individual exceeds the limit, the first proposal received (based on the date and time stamp of proposal submission) will be accepted and the remainder will be returned without review. No exceptions will be made.

Accelerating Research Translation (ART)

Overview:

The ART program is intended for IHEs that clearly see the benefits of building capacity and actively seek the infrastructure necessary for scaling translational research activities. The program aims to increase such institutions' capacity to conduct and accelerate translational research activities with a clear emphasis on capturing the resultant societal and economic benefits to their surrounding communities and regions.

The ART program provides funding to build institutional capacity and the infrastructure needed to conduct translational research activities. The programmatic intent of ART is to support IHEs where the fundamental research activity is high, but the level of translational research activity is relatively low. NSF data on research expenditures can be used by the IHEs considering proposal submission for this program to determine whether their respective institutions are operating at high fundamental research levels. There are different research translation and entrepreneurship metrics (e.g., number of invention disclosures, patents issued, start-ups, licenses/options, revenue from royalties, the overall volume of industry-funded research, broad adoption of research outputs by communities or constituents, etc.) that can reflect the current capacity and the status of an infrastructure for translational research activities at an IHE. However, these metrics do not necessarily provide a complete picture. As a result, for this solicitation, each submitting IHE must provide data to justify their current capacity and infrastructure for translational research activities, using multiple evidence-based methods and metrics to determine such capacity. Most importantly, IHEs submitting a proposal to this program should clearly articulate why there is significant potential and an opportunity to build institutional capacity for translational research activities and its transition to practice.

Expected Outcomes
This solicitation seeks proposals in which an IHE describes its plans to achieve all of the following outcomes:

(1) Develop institutional capacity and infrastructure for translational research activities in the short (during the four-year duration of the award) and long terms (beyond the duration of the award).

(2) Create and continually train new cohorts of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers versed in translational research to successfully create economic and/or societal impact through various career pathways, e.g., as entrepreneurs, in industry or public sectors.

(3) Support a nationwide network of 'ART Ambassadors' who will be the agents of change within their institutions and region to support equal importance for translational research and its ensuing impact.

Anticipated Type of Award: Cooperative Agreement

Estimated Number of Awards: 10
Up to 10 awards per round of this solicitation, with up to $6,000,000 per award and a duration of 4 years, are anticipated.

InfoReady link: https://asu.infoready4.com/#competitionDetail/1933233

Solicitation limitations:

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: 1

A proposal can involve multiple organizations, but the proposal must be submitted by a lead organization with subawards to other participating organizations. Separately submitted collaborative proposals are not permitted.

An eligible IHE can submit a maximum of one proposal as a lead organization per submission deadline identified in this solicitation.

Any IHE that receives an ART award is not allowed to submit a proposal to this program as the lead organization in any future competitions of this solicitation.

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI or co-PI: 1
An individual can serve as a PI on only one proposal. An individual can serve as a co-PI on multiple proposals.

DOS - U.S. Embassy Buenos Aires PAS Annual Grants Fund

Overview:

PAS invites academic, cultural, educational and non-profit organizations, as well as individuals, to submit proposals that strictly adhere to the priority areas of interest of the US Embassy in Argentina detailed below.

The Grants Fund assists organizations in carrying out programs, providing new opportunities for citizen engagement, sharing best practices, and promoting and advancing issues of public importance, focused exclusively on the following priority areas:
 

1. Projects that increase and further strengthen awareness of American values, with a particular emphasis on human rights and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility. Projects should showcase the United States’ diverse population to Argentine priority audiences; engage civil society organizations and the media to raise concerns about human rights violations in the Western Hemisphere; engage with the above-mentioned communities in support of professional and educational exchanges and partnership with the United States on human rights; and foster economic growth, improved business climate, entrepreneurship, innovation, and corporate social responsibility with a focus on the above-mentioned communities.

2. Projects that increase media literacy, press freedom, and how to best counter dis/misinformation. Projects should focus on improving the transparency and quality of investigative journalism; reinforce journalistic standards to counter disinformation and support freedom of information; strengthen independence of the press by increasing capacities to build sustainable business models; and promote media literacy as well as the responsible use of social media.

3. Projects that increase awareness and best practices in accountability, good governance, transparency, and shared democratic principles. Projects should promote democratic institutions in Argentina; professional exchange projects that emphasize U.S. best practices in accountability and institutional integrity, promoting good governance, and building transparency and public trust; and engage and mobilize U.S. government (USG) program alumni to serve as mentors and policy advocates for accountability, good governance, and transparency.

All awards must include a U.S. element or a clear, explicit connection with experts, organizations, or institutions from the United States in a specific field that will promote increased understanding of U.S. policy, values, and perspectives.
 

Examples of types of prior projects include, but are not limited to:

• U.S. experts conducting speaking tours/public talks or roundtable discussions with counterparts in Argentina;
• Joint U.S.-Argentina conferences or workshops that produce concrete advances or other results;
• Programs that expand U.S. Department of State American Spaces (Binational Centers) activities;
• Projects showcasing U.S. best practices, models, or curricula;
• Development of initiatives aimed at maintaining contact with alumni of U.S. government exchange programs;

Priority Region: Project activities must take place or be initiated in Argentina and be directed towards Argentinian audiences/participants. Priority will be given to projects taking place in underserved, marginalized areas.

Priority Audiences:

• Historically underrepresented groups in the public commons, e.g.: women, people with disabilities, racial and ethnic minority groups and the LGBTQI+ community.
• Residents of Argentine provinces outside of the City of Buenos Aires.
• U.S. government (USG) program Alumni
• Students from less-resourced backgrounds who can't afford U.S. university tuition but have the potential to win scholarships.

Applicants are encouraged to demonstrate cost-sharing, public-private partnerships, cooperation among multiple partners, or innovative means to implement cost savings in their proposals.

Developmental Sciences (DS)

Overview:

Developmental Sciences supports basic research that increases our understanding of perceptual, cognitive, linguistic, social, cultural, and biological processes related to human development across the lifespan. Research supported by this program will add to our knowledge of the underlying developmental processes that support social, cognitive, and behavioral functioning, thereby illuminating ways for individuals to live productive lives as members of society.

The Developmental Sciences program supports research that addresses developmental processes within the domains of perceptual, cognitive, social, emotional, language, and motor development across the lifespan by working with any appropriate populations for the topics of interest including infants, children, adolescents, adults (including aging populations), and non-human animals. The program also supports research investigating factors that affect developmental change, including family, peers, school, community, culture, media, physical, genetic, and epigenetic influences. The program funds research that incorporates multidisciplinary, multi-method, and/or longitudinal approaches; develops new methods, models, and theories for studying development; and integrates different processes (e.g., memory, emotion, perception, cognition), levels of analysis (e.g., behavioral, social, neural) and time scales. The program funds basic research that advances our understanding of developmental processes and mechanisms; the program does not fund clinical trials and research focused primarily on health outcomes.

The budgets and durations of supported projects vary widely and are greatly influenced by the nature of the project. Investigators should focus on innovative, potentially transformative research plans and then develop a budget to support those activities, rather than starting with a budget number and working up to that value.

While there are no specific rules about budget limitations, a typical project funded through the Developmental Sciences program is approximately three years in duration with a total cost budget, including both direct and indirect costs, between $100,000 and $200,000 per year. Interested proposers are urged to explore the NSF awards database for the Developmental Sciences program to review examples of awards that have been made. Proposals that contain budgets significantly beyond this range may be returned without review.

The Developmental Sciences program also considers proposals for workshops and small conferences on a case-by-case basis. These typically have total cost budgets, including direct and indirect costs, of approximately $35,000. Conference proposals may only be submitted following an invitation from the Program Directors.

In addition to consulting the NSF awards database, it is often useful for interested proposers to submit (via email) a summary of no more than one page so that a program director can advise the investigator on the fit of the project for DS before the preparation of a full proposal. New investigators are encouraged to solicit assistance in the preparation of their project proposals via consultation with senior researchers in their area, pre-submission review by colleagues, and attendance at symposia and events at professional conferences geared towards educating investigators seeking federal funding.

The Developmental Sciences Program is always interested in identifying new reviewers. Potential reviewers should have a Ph.D. in psychology or a related field and have a demonstrated area of expertise relevant to developmental science. Individuals interested in reviewing for the program should complete an expression of interest form.

SBE/BCS welcomes the submission of proposals to this funding opportunity that include the participation of the full spectrum of diverse talent in STEM, e.g., as PI, co-PI, senior personnel, postdoctoral scholars, graduate or undergraduate students, or trainees. This includes historically under-represented or under-served populations, diverse institutions including Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs), and two-year colleges, as well as major research institutions. Proposals from EPSCoR jurisdictions are especially encouraged.

The NSF Developmental Sciences Program supports multiple types of proposals:

-Standard Research Proposals
-Conference/Workshop Proposals
-Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Supplemental Funding Requests
-Non-Academic Research Internships for Graduate Students (INTERN) Supplemental Funding Requests
-Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program Proposals-
-Mid-career Advancement (MCA) program supplemental funding
-Career-life balance supplemental funding
-Facilitating Research at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions: Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) and Research Opportunity Awards (ROA) Proposals and Supplemental Funding Requests
-Research Coordination Network (RCN) Proposals
-Rapid Response Research (RAPID) Proposals
-Early-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) Proposals
-Research Advanced by Interdisciplinary Science & Engineering (RAISE) Proposals.

If a researcher is unsure whether the Developmental Sciences program is appropriate for a proposal topic, they are encouraged to email a one-page summary of their project to the program officer(s) before proposal submission. The one-page summary should separately discuss the Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts of the proposed research.

The budgets and durations of supported projects vary widely and are greatly influenced by the nature of the project. Investigators should focus on innovative, potentially transformative research plans and then develop a budget to support those activities, rather than starting with a budget number and working up to that value.

While there are no specific rules about budget limitations, a typical project funded through the Developmental Sciences program is approximately three years in duration with a total cost budget, including both direct and indirect costs, between $100,000 and $200,000 per year. Interested proposers are urged to explore the NSF awards database for the Developmental Sciences program to review examples of awards that have been made. Proposals that contain budgets significantly beyond this range may be returned without review.

The Developmental Sciences program also considers proposals for workshops and small conferences on a case-by-case basis. These typically have total cost budgets, including direct and indirect costs, of approximately $35,000. Conference proposals may only be submitted following an invitation from the Program Directors.

EPA - Environmental Research Apprenticeship Program for College and University Students

Overview:

The purpose of this announcement is to request applications to competitively select a technically and administratively qualified recipient to develop and administer a year-round research training program. The Environmental Research Apprenticeship Program for College and University Students will supplement the academic training of the trainees by enabling them to complete mentored training and projects on-site with EPA scientists at GCRD’s federal research laboratories located in Ada, Oklahoma. The training can begin at any time during the calendar year and must be structured to occur in conjunction with the trainees’ academic studies. Training must be conducted on-site at GCRD’s facilities in Ada, Oklahoma, and the applicant must describe its approach for managing any logistics that are necessary to meet this objective. The applicant’s training program must support: (a) undergraduate students who will gain research experience by working with GCRD scientists (mentors) on a part-time or full-time schedule, and (b) graduate students, enrolled in Masters programs, who will receive training in EPA research and will undertake more substantial research training projects in collaboration with EPA and university scientists on a part-time or full-time schedule. Students will gain research experience by working under the mentorship of GCRD scientists throughout the academic year. Students may also continue their training during the summer session. Applications that do not propose the training and mentoring of both undergraduate and graduate students on-site at EPA-GCRD’s facilities in Ada, Oklahoma will not be considered.

Research themes for training opportunities will be identified by GCRD in collaboration with the recipient. These themes will primarily reflect research priorities and funding availability at GCRD and include, but are not limited to: research in pollution prevention and green infrastructure, research to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, research of biological, physical, and chemical remediation, ecosystem research, and environmental research of watersheds, drinking water, and wastewater. Projects that are consistent with GCRD’s research themes and suitable for training students will be coordinated with the EPA mentor and developed by the recipient. Some examples of the desired areas of study for trainees include, but are not limited to, environmental science, water policy, chemistry, engineering, computer science, ecology, and physical and biological sciences. The objective of the training program is not to provide products or services for EPA’s direct use or augment its workforce. EPA will not select trainees or otherwise assume any supervisory responsibilities regarding the trainees selected by the recipient.

It is envisioned that the training program will increase both the effectiveness and number of future environmental scientists. The training received under the mentorship of GCRD scientists will complement the trainees’ academic coursework. The recipient will be responsible for ensuring that the training plans are supportive of the trainees’ academic training. Training in professional scientific ethics and quality assurance will typically be provided both by the recipient and EPA. The on-site cooperative training experience would be conducted with GCRD scientists and include problem and hypothesis formulation, experimental design, sample analysis, experiment set-up, data evaluation, quality assurance, reporting, presenting results and manuscript development and publication.

Outputs and Outcomes

Outputs from the Research Training Program funded under this RFA are expected to include, but are not limited to:
• The training of up to 10+ trainees per year;
• Progress reports that summarize the trainees’ projects, objectives, outputs/outcomes, approaches, learning experiences and budget allocations;
• Scientific and technical publications in the peer-reviewed literature;
• Attendance and presentations of data at national and international scientific meetings;
• Data and information essential to conducting environmental studies.

Examples of expected outcomes include, but are not limited to:
• Increase in the number of environmental scientists and technicians that have the training and experience to immediately enter the workforce upon graduation;
• Increase in the number of environmental scientists who can productively contribute to the understanding of the science needed to manage environmental risks;
• Increase in the overall knowledge and experience of the trainees being mentored and trained.

The EPA anticipates funding one award under this RFA. Requests for amounts in excess of a total of $800,000 per award, including direct and indirect costs, will not be considered. The total project period requested in an application submitted for this RFA may not exceed five years.