NSF ADVANCE Program Solicitation for Strategies to Promote Equity in STEM Workforce

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced a solicitation for proposals to the ADVANCE program, which supports research-based strategies to promote gender, racial, and ethnic equity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Through this solicitation, NSF intends to grant a total of $30,000,000 to universities and other organizations that propose systemic changes that promote equity for STEM faculty in academic workplaces.

Behavioral scientists can provide essential knowledge on differential treatment, implicit bias in hiring and promotion, and other topics relevant to potential proposals. Community colleges, minority-serving institutions, women’s colleges, and institutions primarily serving persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

This two-year solicitation includes four funding tracks with different deadlines, amounts of funding, and lengths of funding:

• Institutional Transformation track: NSF seeks to fund the development, implementation, and evaluation of innovative strategies to promote equity for STEM faculty within institutions of higher education. Approximately two projects will receive up to $3,000,000 for five years. The deadline for preliminary proposals is October 1, 2019.
• Adaptation track: This track will fund projects that adapt, implement, and evaluate strategies that have been shown to promote gender equity for STEM faculty in academic institutions or nonprofit, nonacademic organizations. NSF anticipates funding 12 Adaptation awards of $1,000,000 for three-year projects. Interested applicants should submit a letter of intent by May 15, 2019 for the 2019 competition or by November 1, 2019 for the 2020 competition.
• Partnership track: NSF plans to award 12 projects involving two or more partners focused on equity strategies with a broad reach and impact. Awardees will receive up to $1,000,000 for their project for three to five years. Letters of intent are due by May 15, 2019 for the 2019 competition and by November 1, 2019 for the 2020 competition.
• Catalyst track: This new track supports institutions of higher education to collect data and conduct self-assessments to identify STEM faculty inequities and develop a 5-year equity strategy for STEM faculty. NSF will select 12 projects to receive up to $300,000 for two years. The target date for proposal submissions is June 3, 2019. If interested, applicants should contact the program office before submitting a Catalyst proposal to determine if funding is available.

To read an overview of the NSF ADVANCE program and solicitation, click here. To read the full NSF ADVANCE solicitation, click here.