Federal Cyber Service Scholarship for Service | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The Federal Cyber Service Scholarship for Service (SFS) program is a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant opportunity designed to strengthen the nations cybersecurity workforce by expanding both the number of trained students entering information assurance and computer security careers and the ability of U.S. colleges and universities to educate those professionals over the long term. The program focuses on building a pipeline of graduates who can help protect federal information systems and critical government infrastructure, while also helping academic institutions improve and scale their cybersecurity education offerings.

This opportunity is structured around two main tracks. The first is the Scholarship Track, which provides grant funding to eligible U.S. colleges and universities so they can award scholarships to students studying information assurance and computer security. The scholarships are meant to support students during the last two years of an undergraduate degree, two years of a masters program, or the final two years of a Ph.D. program. Students supported under this track are expected to move through their program as a cohort, participating in organized academic and professional activities tied to the scholarship. A required component is a summer internship within the Federal Government, giving students direct exposure to real federal cybersecurity operations and workforce expectations. In limited numbers, and depending on annual decisions by the program office, some students may complete placements in National Laboratories or Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) instead of, or in addition to, standard federal agency placements.

A defining feature of the Scholarship Track is the service commitment. Scholarship recipients are considered part of the Federal Cyber Service of Information Technology Specialists, with a mission centered on safeguarding U.S. government information infrastructure. In exchange for two years of scholarship support, recipients must work for two years in the Federal Government after graduation. This requirement makes the program different from typical academic scholarships because it directly ties education funding to federal service outcomes and workforce placement.

The second component is the Capacity Building Track, which supports universities in improving the quality, maturity, and output of information assurance and computer security education. Under this track, funds can be used for activities such as professional development for information assurance faculty and the development or enhancement of academic programs. The intent is to help institutions strengthen curriculum, teaching capability, and overall program capacity so that more students can be trained effectively and consistently in cybersecurity-related fields.

In terms of grant mechanics, this is a discretionary grant opportunity categorized under Science and Technology and other Research and Development. The funding opportunity number is 10-505, and it is associated with CFDA 47.076 (Education and Human Resources). NSF anticipated about 17 awards, with an estimated total funding amount of $11,330,000. Individual awards could range from a floor of $50,000 up to a ceiling of $2,500,000. Cost sharing or matching was not required, which typically lowers barriers for institutions that may not have large discretionary funds to contribute.

Eligibility depends on the track. For the Scholarship Track, proposals can be submitted only by accredited U.S. colleges or universities that are either formally designated by the National Security Agency (NSA) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as a Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education (CAE/IAE or CAE-R), or that can demonstrate an information assurance program meeting criteria similar to those required for CAE designation. For the Capacity Building Track, the applicant may be an accredited U.S. institution or a consortium; however, the lead institution in any consortium must meet the same CAE designation requirement or demonstrate comparable program alignment with CAE criteria. This eligibility structure is meant to ensure that participating schools have a credible baseline capability in cybersecurity education before receiving scholarship or capacity-building funds.

Key administrative dates in the archived notice include a posted date of November 18, 2009, and a full proposal deadline of February 2, 2010, with the opportunity later archived on November 28, 2010. The announcement references NSF Publication 10-505 for full program details and directs technical access questions to NSF Grants.gov support at grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov.

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