Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate

The Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) program, administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF), aims to enhance diversity in the nation's STEM faculty. Managed by the Directorate for STEM Education’s Division of Equity for Excellence in STEM, this program seeks to advance equity and inclusion for historically underrepresented minority populations in academic STEM careers. These populations include African Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Native Pacific Islanders. The AGEP program aligns with the NSF’s broader strategic goals and is supported by various STEM education initiatives. AGEP comprises three distinct tracks: the AGEP Catalyst Alliance (ACA), the AGEP Faculty Career Pathways Alliance Model (FC-PAM), and the AGEP Institutional Transformation Alliance (ITA). The ACA track supports institutional self-assessment and strategic planning to address equity issues. The FC-PAM track focuses on the development and institutionalization of collaborative models to improve faculty pathways. The ITA track funds the development and implementation of systemic, institutional-level reforms that are sustained beyond the funding period. Each track requires collaborations among institutions of higher education (IHEs) that share similar characteristics, such as Carnegie classification, geographic location, and faculty demographics. Eligibility for AGEP is limited to accredited two- and four-year IHEs in the United States, including community colleges, acting on behalf of their faculty. Proposals must include multiple collaborating institutions, particularly for the FC-PAM and ITA tracks. Submission requirements vary by track: Letters of Intent are mandatory for the FC-PAM track, while preliminary proposals are required for the ITA track. No letters or preliminary proposals are required for the ACA track. All proposals must be submitted through Research.gov or Grants.gov and must adhere to the NSF’s Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide. Evaluation criteria focus on intellectual merit and broader impacts, with additional emphasis on the use of intersectional lenses in systemic change efforts. Proposals must include detailed logic models, management and evaluation plans, and strategies for institutionalization. The NSF places a strong emphasis on self-assessment and peer-reviewed dissemination of project findings. Site visits are mandatory for FC-PAM and ITA awardees to assess progress and sustainability. Funding amounts vary by track: up to $400,000 for ACA, up to $2.9 million for FC-PAM, and up to $4.4 million for ITA. Cost sharing is not allowed, and specific budget limitations apply. Annual reporting is required for all multi-year awards, and AGEP recipients must contribute to national resources and conferences aimed at improving STEM equity. For more information or to submit inquiries, contact the AGEP program via email at agep@nsf.gov or phone at (703) 292-5111. Additional proposal support is available through NSF's Research.gov and Grants.gov help desks.