Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science | Apply Online

NSF INCLUDES (Funding Opportunity 16-544) FAQs

What is NSF INCLUDES?

NSF INCLUDES stands for Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science. It is a National Science Foundation (NSF) national initiative focused on strengthening U.S. leadership in STEM by making the STEM ecosystem more diverse, equitable, and inclusive.

What problem is NSF INCLUDES trying to solve?

The initiative is built on the premise that the United States cannot sustain world-class scientific and engineering innovation without fully tapping talent from every community. NSF INCLUDES targets persistent inequities in STEM preparation, participation, and long-term contributions for populations that have historically been underrepresented and underserved.

What are the main goals of the initiative?

Based on the opportunity description, NSF INCLUDES aims to expand (1) who gets access to high-quality STEM learning and career pathways, (2) who stays in those pathways, and (3) whose contributions are recognized and sustained across education and workforce systems.

Which groups does NSF INCLUDES prioritize?

The opportunity explicitly emphasizes improving preparation, increasing participation, and ensuring long-term contributions in STEM for groups historically underrepresented and underserved, including women; members of racial and ethnic minority groups (with explicit mention of Black and Hispanic communities); individuals with disabilities; and people from low socio-economic backgrounds.

Is NSF INCLUDES focused on students, workers, or both?

The description frames the STEM pathway broadly across education and workforce systems. It emphasizes access to STEM learning and career pathways, persistence within those pathways, and sustained contributions, indicating an interest that spans multiple stages rather than a single point in the pipeline.

Does NSF INCLUDES support small, isolated projects?

The initiative is described as a transformation challenge for the STEM enterprise at all levels, not a small programmatic adjustment. It emphasizes national-scale change and coordinated action rather than isolated efforts confined to a single program or institution.

Why does NSF emphasize national-scale change?

The opportunity notes that barriers to equity and inclusion are often systemic and interconnected, and that the U.S. STEM ecosystem must account for the country's cultural and linguistic diversity. For that reason, meaningful progress is positioned as requiring coordinated action across multiple sectors, settings, and stages of the STEM pathway.

What approaches is NSF INCLUDES especially interested in?

The opportunity highlights social innovation approaches that can scale, with particular interest in methods such as collective impact, networked communities, and strategic partnerships.

What does “collective impact” or “networked communities” mean in this program context?

Within the framing of NSF INCLUDES, these approaches refer to proposals that bring together coalitions of organizations around a shared agenda to address a clearly defined STEM inclusion problem at scale, using coordinated partnership structures rather than independent, unconnected activities.

What is an NSF INCLUDES Alliance?

An NSF INCLUDES Alliance is described as a durable network or alliance designed to grow, adapt, and spread effective strategies across regions, institutions, and communities to achieve broader STEM inclusion outcomes.

What is the “ten-year horizon” mentioned in the opportunity?

The long-term vision described is ambitious over roughly ten years: NSF INCLUDES aims to support innovative models, networks, partnerships, and research that help the U.S. science and engineering workforce thrive by moving representation in STEM closer to parity with the U.S. population.

Is the initiative only about representation numbers?

No. The opportunity pairs the goal of representation with participation and contribution, emphasizing that underrepresented individuals should not only be present in STEM spaces, but also be able to succeed, advance, and shape the direction of STEM fields.

What specific NSF INCLUDES funding track is referenced here?

The cycle referenced is FY 2016, which sought proposals for “Design and Development Launch Pilots.” These were intended to catalyze the formation of NSF INCLUDES Alliances.

What are “Design and Development Launch Pilots” intended to do?

They are described as early-stage investments meant to help groups organize, test partnership structures, refine common goals, and lay the groundwork for larger, more mature alliances capable of national impact.

How many awards did NSF anticipate making for this opportunity?

The anticipated number of awards listed is 40.

What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this NSF INCLUDES cycle?

The Funding Opportunity Number is 16-544.

When was this opportunity posted?

The opportunity was posted on February 23, 2016.

What was the closing date for submissions?

The original and current closing date listed is June 24, 2016.

What type of grant is this administratively?

It is described as a discretionary NSF grant opportunity.

What agency is offering the opportunity?

The opportunity is offered by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

What is the general activity area for this opportunity?

The activity sits within NSF's research and development mission, as stated in the description.

Which CFDA program numbers are referenced?

The opportunity references multiple CFDA program numbers: 47.041, 47.049, 47.050, 47.070, 47.074, 47.075, 47.076, and 47.083.

Who is eligible to apply based on the summary?

Eligibility is listed broadly as “Others,” and the summary notes that additional eligibility details are referenced in the full opportunity text.

Does the summary provide detailed eligibility requirements?

No. The summary only states “Others” and indicates that further eligibility details are available in the full opportunity text.

What distinguishes NSF INCLUDES from a traditional single-institution program?

The opportunity emphasizes coordinated action across multiple sectors and settings and prioritizes scalable social innovation strategies. The intent is to form coalitions and alliances with a shared agenda and the capacity for broader, national-scale impact rather than stand-alone interventions.

What kinds of outcomes does NSF INCLUDES ultimately want to see?

As described, NSF seeks measurable progress in preparation, participation, and long-term contributions for underrepresented and underserved groups in STEM, with a longer-term aim of moving STEM representation closer to parity with the U.S. population and strengthening the nation's future science and engineering workforce.