Opportunity Information: Apply for 14 515
Apply for 14 515
- The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Promoting Research and Innovation in Methodologies for Evaluation" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.076 Education and Human Resources.
- This funding opportunity was created on Nov 25, 2013 and posted on Nov 25, 2013.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 21, 2014 Full Proposal Deadline(s) February 21, 2014. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $8,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 18 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Promoting Research and Innovation in Methodologies for Evaluation (PRIME) program is a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant opportunity focused on strengthening how STEM education and workforce development efforts are evaluated. Rather than funding STEM programs themselves, PRIME is aimed at advancing the science and practice of evaluation, especially the methods, theories, tools, and field-level capacity needed to understand what STEM education projects and programs actually accomplish and how useful they are in real settings.
At the core of PRIME are three priority areas. First, the program encourages innovative approaches for determining the impacts and usefulness of STEM education projects and programs, which includes developing or testing new ways to measure outcomes, attribute changes to interventions, and assess value for different stakeholders. Second, PRIME supports work that builds on and expands the theoretical foundations of evaluation for STEM education and workforce initiatives, including translating and adapting ideas and methodologies from other disciplines where evaluation science may be more mature or differently structured. Third, the program explicitly seeks to grow the capacity and infrastructure of the evaluation field, meaning efforts that help expand the community of skilled evaluators, improve shared resources and standards, and strengthen the systems that make high-quality evaluation more feasible and widely adopted.
The program supports three main proposal types. Exploratory Projects are intended for early-stage work such as proof-of-concept efforts and feasibility studies, where the goal is to test promising ideas, pilot new instruments or designs, and generate evidence that a methodology is workable and worth scaling. Full Scale Projects are designed for more extensive research and development, typically involving broader validation, deeper empirical testing, or more comprehensive methodological contributions that can be adopted across multiple evaluation contexts. PRIME also funds workshops and conferences, recognizing that field-building often depends on convening researchers and practitioners to develop shared frameworks, identify common challenges, disseminate emerging methods, and coordinate agendas that push evaluation forward.
In terms of administrative details, this opportunity was issued by the NSF under Funding Opportunity Number 14-515, within the Education and Human Resources domain (CFDA 47.076). It is a discretionary grant program in the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity category. NSF anticipated making about 18 awards with an estimated total funding amount of $8,000,000, and the listed award floor was $500,000. Cost sharing or matching was not required, and eligibility was described as unrestricted (open to any type of entity), subject to any additional eligibility clarifications in the full announcement text. The opportunity was posted on November 25, 2013, with a full proposal deadline of February 21, 2014, and it was later archived on March 21, 2016. For applicants needing the complete solicitation details, the announcement references NSF Publication 14-515, and general technical support for accessing the posting was directed to grants.gov support at grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov.
PRIME (NSF) Grant Opportunity FAQs
What is the PRIME program?
The Promoting Research and Innovation in Methodologies for Evaluation (PRIME) program is a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant opportunity focused on strengthening how STEM education and workforce development efforts are evaluated. It emphasizes advancing evaluation methods, theories, tools, and field-level capacity.
Does PRIME fund STEM education or workforce programs directly?
No. PRIME is not aimed at funding STEM programs themselves. Instead, it supports work that improves the science and practice of evaluation so stakeholders can better understand what STEM education projects and programs accomplish and how useful they are in real settings.
What is the main goal of PRIME?
The main goal is to advance evaluation methodology and capacity for STEM education and workforce development initiatives, including how impacts are determined, how usefulness is assessed, and how evaluation can be conducted at high quality across real-world contexts.
What are PRIME's priority areas?
PRIME identifies three priority areas: (1) innovative approaches for determining impacts and usefulness of STEM education projects and programs, (2) expanding the theoretical foundations of evaluation for STEM education and workforce initiatives (including translating/adapting ideas from other disciplines), and (3) growing the capacity and infrastructure of the evaluation field.
What does PRIME mean by "innovative approaches" to evaluation?
PRIME encourages developing or testing new ways to measure outcomes, attribute changes to interventions, and assess value for different stakeholders, with a focus on determining the impacts and usefulness of STEM education projects and programs.
What does PRIME support in terms of evaluation theory?
PRIME supports work that builds on and expands theoretical foundations of evaluation for STEM education and workforce initiatives. This includes translating and adapting ideas and methodologies from other disciplines where evaluation science may be more mature or structured differently.
What does "capacity and infrastructure" mean in the context of PRIME?
It refers to efforts that expand the community of skilled evaluators, improve shared resources and standards, and strengthen systems that make high-quality evaluation more feasible and widely adopted.
What types of proposals does PRIME support?
PRIME supports three proposal types: Exploratory Projects, Full Scale Projects, and Workshops/Conferences.
What are Exploratory Projects under PRIME?
Exploratory Projects are intended for early-stage work such as proof-of-concept efforts and feasibility studies. They aim to test promising ideas, pilot new instruments or designs, and generate evidence that a methodology is workable and worth scaling.
What are Full Scale Projects under PRIME?
Full Scale Projects are designed for more extensive research and development, typically involving broader validation, deeper empirical testing, or more comprehensive methodological contributions that can be adopted across multiple evaluation contexts.
Why does PRIME fund workshops and conferences?
PRIME recognizes that field-building often depends on convening researchers and practitioners to develop shared frameworks, identify common challenges, disseminate emerging methods, and coordinate agendas that push evaluation forward.
Which agency issues this opportunity and what is the program area?
This opportunity was issued by the National Science Foundation (NSF) within the Education and Human Resources domain.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number for PRIME?
The Funding Opportunity Number is 14-515.
What is the CFDA number listed for this opportunity?
The opportunity lists CFDA 47.076.
What type of grant program is PRIME?
It is described as a discretionary grant program in the "Science and Technology and other Research and Development" activity category.
How many awards did NSF anticipate making and what was the total estimated funding?
NSF anticipated making about 18 awards with an estimated total funding amount of $8,000,000.
What was the minimum award amount (award floor) listed?
The listed award floor was $500,000.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. Cost sharing or matching was not required for this opportunity.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility was described as unrestricted (open to any type of entity), subject to any additional eligibility clarifications in the full announcement text.
When was the opportunity posted and when were proposals due?
The opportunity was posted on November 25, 2013, and the full proposal deadline was February 21, 2014.
Is this funding opportunity still open?
No. The opportunity was later archived on March 21, 2016.
Where can applicants find the complete solicitation details?
The announcement references NSF Publication 14-515 for complete solicitation details.
Where can applicants get technical help accessing the posting?
General technical support for accessing the posting was directed to grants.gov support at grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov.
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