The NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) program solicitation has been revised for the FY2025 competition (NSF 25-514). Prospective Principal Investigators are encouraged to read the solicitation carefully.
Changes and important information affecting Track 1 proposals:
- The maximum award amount has been increased to up to $2,000,000 for up to 6 years.
- The eligibility requirement has changed. Institutions submitting a Track 1 proposal may not have had an active Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Talent Expansion Program (STEP) or S-STEM award in the past 5 years.
- Track 1 proposals must include an initial planning/capacity building period during which scholarships are not made to students. Scholarships should be awarded to students after the conclusion of the planning/capacity building period.
- For Track 1 proposals, at least 50% of all funds must be provided solely as pure scholarships to cover the cost of attendance and entered as Participant Support – Stipends (Line F1) on the NSF budget form.
Changes and important information affecting All proposals:
- A one-page analysis of job prospects is no longer required and should not be included as a Supplementary Document.
- The Collaborative Planning Grants track has been removed from the S-STEM program. Instead, interested parties are encouraged to consider developing a Planning proposal as described in Section II.B.1., Program Description.
For proposals with a duration of six years, Current and Pending (Other) Support should be reported for the first five years of the project. In addition, proposals requesting a six-year duration must be submitted via Research.gov because Grants.gov will not accommodate a six-year budget.
The AAAS S-STEM Resource and Evaluation Center (REC) will host webinars to support those who are preparing to submit proposals. It is strongly encouraged that prospective Principal Investigators watch the Overview of S-STEM Program recording and read the Frequently Asked Questions document before attending webinars.
The proposal submission deadline for Tracks 1, 2, & 3, is March 4, 2025 and will fall on the first Tuesday in March thereafter.
