2025 NSF's Eddie Bernice Johnson Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (INCLUDES) Initiative

Overview

With this solicitation, NSF invites proposals for three of five types of projects (described below) that connect and contribute to the National Network: (1) Alliances, (2) Network Connectors, and (2) Conferences. 

1. 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;
• Work to build connections to other organizations and broadening participation stakeholders to join in and expand the INCLUDES National Network.

2. 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.

3. 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.

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 and Conferences, full proposals must be submitted as a single submission from a lead organization, with other collaborating organizations included as subawardees.

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. 

Network connector proposals may request up to $250,000 per year for up to two years.
Alliance proposals may request up to $2,000,000 per year for up to five years.
Conference proposals may request up to $100,000 for one year.

Investigators planning to submit a proposal are strongly encouraged to submit a one-page description of their proposal idea to [email protected] 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.