NSF Research: Tribal Colleges and Universities Program
This program provides funding to federally recognized Tribal Colleges and Universities, as well as Alaska Native-serving and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, to improve STEM education, research capacity, and career pathways for Native populations.
The Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) supports the enhancement of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education and research at federally recognized Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), as well as Alaska Native-serving and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions. This program is designed to build institutional capacity, improve educational infrastructure, foster professional development, and create career pathways in STEM disciplines among Native populations. TCUP provides a comprehensive suite of funding tracks aimed at achieving transformative change across educational levels and institutional capabilities. TCUP offers several distinct funding strands: Instructional Capacity Excellence in TCUP Institutions (ICE-TI), Targeted STEM Infusion Projects (TSIP), TCUP for Secondary and Elementary Teachers in STEM (TSETS), TCU Enterprise Advancement Centers (TEA Centers), Cyberinfrastructure Health, Assistance, and Improvements (CHAI), Preparing for TCUP Implementation (Pre-TI), and Small Grants for Research (SGR). Each track is tailored to address specific goals such as improving course and degree offerings, supporting professional development for K–12 teachers, enhancing research capacity, upgrading cyberinfrastructure, and fostering partnerships with non-TCUP institutions. Some tracks support short-term projects while others fund multi-year institutional transformation. Eligibility is restricted to TCUP-eligible institutions as defined by federal legislation. This includes colleges cited under specific acts, and institutions with minimum enrollment thresholds of Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian students. Proposals may only be submitted by these qualifying entities, and each track specifies eligible principal investigators (e.g., chief academic officers or STEM faculty). Proposals must adhere to specific submission requirements depending on the track and must include a comprehensive project description, evaluation plan, and dissemination strategy. Applications are submitted through Research.gov or Grants.gov, following the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide. Most TCUP tracks have fixed deadlines, while some accept proposals on a rolling basis or have recurring annual deadlines. Evaluation criteria include intellectual merit and broader societal impacts. Each awarded project is expected to demonstrate a long-term commitment to STEM improvement and capacity-building. Cost sharing is not required, and indirect cost limitations are not applicable unless stated otherwise. Funding varies by track, with ICE-TI awards reaching up to $2.5 million over five years, TEA Centers up to $3.5 million, and smaller tracks like CHAI and Pre-TI capped at $250,000 and $150,000 respectively. Approximately 17 to 55 awards are anticipated annually, subject to funding availability. Total program funding is estimated at $10.8 million. Awardees are required to attend annual Leaders' Forums and comply with NSF reporting standards. Contact points include program directors Jody Chase and Regina Sievert, and a business operations specialist. The TCUP program is recurring with multiple annual deadlines. For example, TSETS proposals are due annually on January 11, and TSIP and ICE-TI proposals recur in June and April. Interested institutions should review specific track requirements and consult NSF staff as necessary before applying.
Award Range
$100,000 - $3,500,000
Total Program Funding
$10,799,836
Number of Awards
55
Matching Requirement
No
Additional Details
Instructional Capacity Excellence in TCUP Institutions (ICE-TI) Number of awards: Up to 6 Project Length: Up to five years Award Size: Up to $2.5 million Note: Funds should be budgeted for the PI and PD to attend a TCUP Leaders' Forum each award year. Targeted STEM Infusion Projects (TSIP) Number of awards: Up to 10 Project Length: Up to three years Award Size: Up to $500,000 Note: Funds should be budgeted for the PI to attend a TCUP Leaders' Forum each award year. TCUP for Secondary and Elementary Teachers in STEM (TSETS) Number of awards: Up to 5 Project Length: Up to five years Award Size: Up to $1.75 million Note: Funds should be budgeted for the PI and PD to attend a TCUP Leaders' Forum each award year. TCU Enterprise Advancement Centers (TEA Centers) Number of awards: Up to 8 Project Length: Up to five years, with potential for renewal, as described in the Program Description section Award Size: Up to $3.5 million, with potential for renewal, concomitant with scope of renewal Note: Funds should be budgeted for the PI and PD to attend a TCUP Leaders' Forum each award year. Cyberinfrastructure Health, Assistance, and Improvements (CHAI) Number of awards: Up to 10 Project Length: Up to one year Award Size: Up to $250,000 Preparing for TCUP Implementation (Pre-TI) Number of awards: Up to 3 Project Length: Up to two years Award Size: Up to $150,000 TCUP Partnerships Number of awards: Up to 3 Project Length: Up to five years Award Size: Up to $5,000,000; up to $825,000 per institution (up to $165,000 per institution per year; up to $1,000,000 per project per year) Note: Funds should be budgeted for the PI to attend a TCUP Leaders' Forum each award year. Small Grants for Research (SGR) Number of awards: Up to 10 Project Length: Up to two years Award Size: Up to $200,000 Estimated program budget, number of awards and average award size/duration are subject to the availability of funds.
Eligible Applicants
Additional Requirements
*Who May Submit Proposals: Proposals may only be submitted by the following: - Organizations eligible to submit TCUP proposals are federally recognized Tribal Colleges and Universities, Alaska Native-serving institutions and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions. Multiple campuses of one university system are normally encouraged to consider collaborativesubmissions. Executive Order 13021 defines Tribal Colleges and Universities ("tribal colleges") as those institutions cited in section 532 of the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 301 note), and other institutions that qualify for funding under the Tribally Controlled Community College Assistance Act of 1978, (25 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), as well as Navajo Community College as authorized in the Navajo Community College Assistance Act of 1978, Public Law 95-471, Title II (25 U.S.C. 640a note). The term "Alaska Native-serving institution" means an institution of higher education that is an eligible institution under section 1058(b) of the Higher Education Act; and that, at the time of submission, has an undergraduate enrollment that is at least 20 percent Alaska Native students. The term "Native Hawaiian-serving institution" means an institution of higher education that is an eligible institution under section 1058(b) of the Higher Education Act; has a Carnegie classification of baccalaureate or associate's college; and has, at the time of submission, an undergraduate enrollment that is at least 10 percent Native Hawaiian students. By signing and submitting the proposal, the proposer is certifying that they meet the eligibility criteria specified in this program solicitation. Willful provision of false information in this request and its supporting documents or in reports required under an ensuing award is a criminal offense (U.S. Code, Title 18, Section 1001). Eligibility may be verified by consulting the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) or other certified federal government data sources. Other institutions of higher education are eligible to submit collaborative proposals as non-leads with TCUP-eligible institutions under the TCUP Partnerships strands; limitations apply. *Who May Serve as PI: For the Instructional Capacity Excellence in TCUP Institutions (ICE-TI), TCU Enterprise Advancement (TEA)Centers, and TCUP Partnerships award strands, theprincipal investigator (PI) is expected to be the president, chief academic officer, another senior academic officer responsible for oversight and management of curriculum and instructional policies for the institution, or a senior STEM faculty member.Typically, the PI forTargeted STEM Infusion Projects (TSIP) or TCUP for Secondary and Elementary Teachers in STEM proposals (TSETS) would be a member of the STEM faculty, but STEM education faculty are encouraged to be part of the key leadership team. The PI for Small Grants for Research (SGR) proposals should be the lead researcher and would typically be a member of the STEM or STEM education faculty. For Cyberinfrastructure Health, Assistance, and Improvements (CHAI), the PI should be a senior STEM faculty member, but the chief information officer (CIO) is strongly encouraged to be part of the key leadership team. Prospective PIs are encouraged to consult TCUP program staff.
Geographic Eligibility
All
Application Opens
June 24, 2021
Application Closes
January 5, 2026
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