Hispanic-Serving Institutions: Enriching Learning, Programs, and Student Experiences | 24 551

Opportunity Information: Apply for 24 551

The National Science Foundation (NSF) grant opportunity titled Hispanic-Serving Institutions: Enriching Learning, Programs, and Student Experiences (HSI-ELPSE) supports efforts to strengthen undergraduate STEM education at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). The program is rooted in the National Science Board vision for a stronger, more diverse science and engineering workforce and aligns with the NSF Strategic Plan. At its core, this funding aims to help HSIs improve the quality of STEM learning environments while also increasing STEM recruitment, retention, and graduation outcomes for students pursuing certificates, associate degrees, and/or bachelor degrees in STEM fields.

A key theme of HSI-ELPSE is that improving STEM success requires an honest, detailed understanding of who students are and what they experience, not just broad demographic labels. NSF emphasizes that student identities and needs are multidimensional (for example, students may be Hispanic and first-generation, may commute, may work full-time, may be parenting, etc.), and that effective interventions must be designed with these realities in mind. Applicants are expected to use institutional data to identify equity gaps and barriers, pinpoint where students are being lost along STEM pathways, and analyze the factors driving those outcomes. The insights drawn from those data are meant to directly shape the project design, rather than serving as background context.

The solicitation is specifically focused on studying and improving the student experience in defined institutional settings where STEM learning and persistence are shaped day to day. These settings include individual STEM courses (especially those central to STEM majors), STEM certificate/minor/degree programs and their pathways, and academic units such as departments, divisions, schools, or colleges (for instance, a School of Engineering or College of Natural Sciences). NSF encourages institutions to lean into what it means to be an HSI and to use that mission and designation as a springboard for reimagining how courses, programs, and academic structures can better serve their students.

HSI-ELPSE welcomes projects that implement, test, and refine promising practices as well as projects that conduct research tied to broadening participation and improving student outcomes in STEM. In general, projects in the main track focus on tangible improvements such as curriculum and course redesign, evidence-based pedagogies, student support structures both inside and outside the classroom (advising, mentoring, tutoring, peer supports, learning communities, etc.), and clearer degree pathways that help students progress efficiently through STEM requirements. The program stresses that interventions should be purposefully designed to meet students where they are, building on student strengths while addressing barriers that may be academic, structural, financial, cultural, or logistical.

The solicitation contains multiple funding tracks. One major category is Implementation and Evaluation Projects (IEP), offered at Levels 1 and 2, which are typically geared toward carrying out and evaluating changes in courses, programs, and student pathways, with a strong emphasis on evidence, assessment, and learning from results. A second track is Educational Instrumentation (EI), which supports proposals aimed at expanding access to computing resources and/or laboratory instrumentation needed for high-quality undergraduate STEM education. The EI track is particularly aimed at (1) HSIs located in EPSCoR jurisdictions and (2) HSI Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs) located in non-EPSCoR jurisdictions, reflecting NSF interest in addressing capacity gaps that can limit the quality of STEM instruction and hands-on experiences.

Eligibility is limited. For the IEP track, an applicant must be an accredited institution of higher education, must offer undergraduate STEM education programs that result in certificates or degrees, and must meet the federal definition of an HSI under Section 502 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1101a). The solicitation notes that institutions will be required to provide an updated eligibility letter from the U.S. Department of Education as a supplementary document, making formal HSI status a documented requirement rather than an informal claim.

From the published opportunity details, this is a discretionary grant competition administered by NSF (CFDA 47.076) under the Science and Technology and other Research and Development category. The funding opportunity number is 24-551. The original closing date listed is June 4, 2024. NSF anticipates making about 33 awards, with an award ceiling of up to $1,000,000 per award.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Hispanic-Serving Institutions: Enriching Learning, Programs, and Student Experiences" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.076.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-02-22.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-06-04. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 33 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for 24 551

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