Opportunities for Enhancing Diversity in the Geosciences (OEDG) | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The National Science Foundation (NSF), through its Directorate for Geosciences, offered the Opportunities for Enhancing Diversity in the Geosciences (OEDG) program to strengthen participation in atmospheric, Earth, and ocean sciences. The opportunity is rooted in a clear workforce and education gap: several populations remain underrepresented in the geosciences compared with their representation in the broader U.S. population. OEDG is designed to fund education- and pathway-focused efforts that remove barriers, build supportive ecosystems, and help more students and community members see geoscience as relevant, welcoming, and attainable.

The program sets a primary and a secondary objective. The primary goal is to increase participation in the geosciences by African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans (American Indians and Alaska Natives), Native Pacific Islanders (Polynesians or Micronesians), and persons with disabilities. The secondary goal is broader cultural and community impact: increasing the perceived relevance of the geosciences among wide and diverse segments of the public. In practice, this means OEDG is not only about recruiting individuals into geoscience programs, but also about strengthening the visibility, accessibility, and real-world connection of geoscience learning and careers.

OEDG supports projects that raise the number of underrepresented participants across multiple points in the education-to-career pipeline. Funded activities can target formal pre-college geoscience education (such as K-12 programs and structured learning experiences), encourage and support pursuit of geoscience degrees at the bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels, promote entry into geoscience careers, and expand participation through informal geoscience education (for example, museums, community programs, public engagement initiatives, and other out-of-school learning environments). The emphasis is on practical, actionable efforts that measurably broaden participation and strengthen pathways into geoscience study and work.

The opportunity is organized into three funding tracks, allowing applicants to propose work at different stages of readiness and scale. First, OEDG Planning Grants (a newer track within this solicitation) support short-term planning activities like workshops, conferences, symposia, and similar convenings. These planning awards are meant to catalyze either (1) the creation of new strategic plans for systemic, community-wide programs that broaden participation in the geosciences, or (2) the formation of new partnerships or collaborations among multiple institutions that want to build sustainable, long-lasting projects aligned with OEDG goals. This track is essentially for building the blueprint, relationships, and shared infrastructure needed before launching a larger initiative.

Second, Track 1 Proof of Concept Projects fund short-term efforts that test ideas and demonstrate feasibility. These can be one-time activities as well as pilot or trial phases intended to inform a future, larger full-scale program. Track 1 is positioned for teams that have a promising approach but need evidence, refinement, or initial implementation results before expanding.

Third, Track 2 Full Scale Projects support longer-term efforts intended to identify and promote pathways to geoscience careers among members of underrepresented groups. A key expectation for Track 2 is sustainability: proposals should establish programs that can continue without additional OEDG funding after the award period ends. Importantly, receiving Track 1 funding is not required before applying to Track 2, so established partnerships or mature concepts can move directly to full-scale implementation if they are ready.

Administratively, this was a discretionary grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number 08-605) in the Science and Technology and other Research and Development category, associated with CFDA 47.050 (Geosciences). NSF anticipated 42 awards with an estimated total funding amount of $9.2 million, and the solicitation indicated no cost sharing or matching requirement. Eligibility was listed as unrestricted (open to any type of entity, subject to any specific clarifications in the full announcement). Key dates included a required letter of intent for Track 1 and Track 2 (due November 11, 2008) and full proposals for Track 1 and Track 2 (due December 11, 2008). Planning Grant proposals had later deadlines (May 1, 2009 and November 3, 2009). The opportunity was originally posted September 10, 2008 and later archived August 18, 2010. For full details, NSF directed applicants to NSF Publication 08-605 and provided support via grants.gov support channels for access or technical issues.

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