June 14, 2005

Letters of Intent are required for BPC Supplement Requests ONLY.
Letters of Intent must be submitted through FastLane.

August 03, 2005

Letters of Intent are required for BPC Supplement Requests ONLY.

December 07, 2005

Letters of Intent are required for BPC Supplement Requests ONLY.

First Wednesday in April

in 2006 and 2007. Letters of Intent are required for BPC Supplement Requests ONLY.

First Wednesday in August

in 2006 and 2007. Letters of Intent are required for BPC Supplement Requests ONLY.

First Wednesday in December

in 2006 and 2007. Letters of Intent are required for BPC Supplement Requests ONLY.

June 14, 2005

BPC Alliance and Demonstration Projects ONLY

April 05, 2006

BPC Alliance and Demonstration Projects ONLY

April 04, 2007

BPC Alliance and Demonstration Projects ONLY

Broadening Participation in Computing (BPC)

The Broadening Participation in Computing (BPC) program aims to significantly increase the number of students who are U.S. citizens and permanent residents receiving post secondary degrees in the computing disciplines. Initially, its emphasis will be on students from communities with longstanding underrepresentation in computing: women, persons with disabilities, and minorities. Included minorities are African Americans, Hispanics, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. The BPC program seeks to engage the computing community in developing and implementing innovative methods to improve recruitment and retention of these students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Because the lack of role models in the professoriate can be a barrier to participation, the BPC program also aims to develop effective strategies for identifying and supporting members of the targeted groups who want to pursue academic careers in computing. While these efforts focus on underrepresented groups, it is expected that the resulting types of interventions will improve research and education opportunities for all students in computing.

There are three components to the BPC program:

Alliances. Broad Alliances of institutions and organizations will design and carry out comprehensive programs that address underrepresentation in the computing disciplines. Alliances will join academic institutions of higher learning with secondary schools, government, industry, professional societies, and other not-for-profit organizations. Together, the participants will (1) develop and implement interventions that support students, (2) create sustainable changes in culture and practices at the institutional, departmental, and organizational levels, and (3) serve as models and repositories for effective practices to broaden participation. The emphasis will be on activities that have significant impact both in the quality of opportunities afforded to students and in the number of students potentially served. While the focus is on implementations, Alliances may include complementary research that informs the design of those implementations by increasing our understanding of longstanding underrepresentation. The leveraging of existing efforts both across and within the targeted communities is strongly encouraged.

Demonstration Projects. Demonstration Projects (DPs) are smaller in scope and narrower in focus than Alliance projects. Typically DPs will be pilots of programs that, once fully developed, could be incorporated into the activities of an Alliance. Projects might, for example, focus on a specific underrepresented community, a specific point in the academic pipeline, or on a specific impediment to full participation in computing. As in the case of Alliances, complementary, well-defined research aimed at informing the development of the project can be included.

Supplements. Supplements to existing CISE grants will be made in order to engage more members of the computing research community in significant BPC efforts. These supplements will increase target community participation in specific research areas.

Information technology (IT) is one of the fastest-growing areas of job growth. Department of Labor projections have IT job growth outstripping IT degree production for the current decade. If the U.S. economy is to remain competitive, we must increase the number of students receiving undergraduate and graduate degrees in the computing disciplines. This increase must occur across all segments of our population, but it is particularly important among those groups that historically have not participated at high rates: minorities, women, and persons with disabilities. The under participation of these groups causes a loss of opportunity for individuals, a loss of talent to the workforce, and a loss of diverse perspectives and creativity in shaping the future of technology.

The Broadening Participation in Computing (BPC) program is intended to significantly increase the number of domestic students receiving post secondary degrees in the computing disciplines. Initially, its emphasis will be on those communities that have a longstanding underrepresentation in computing: persons with disabilities, women, and minorities. Included minorities are African Americans, Hispanics, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Members of these groups participate in computing at rates well below their proportionate representation in the population. At the same time, it is expected that the types of interventions developed for these students will improve research and education opportunities for all students in computing.

Specifically, the BPC program aims to develop and implement innovative models for recruiting, mentoring, and retaining students from the underrepresented communities in post secondary programs in the computing disciplines. Since the lack of role models in the professoriate can be a barrier to participation, the program also aims to develop effective strategies for identifying and supporting students from the targeted groups who want to pursue academic careers in computing. While the focus is on implementation, projects may include complementary research that informs the design of implementations by increasing our understanding of longstanding underrepresentation. PIs are encouraged to include social scientists in any research, evaluation, and assessment activities.

NSF intends to support a portfolio of projects under the BPC program that serve as effective models for addressing issues of underrepresentation. The program will have three components: Alliances; Demonstration Projects; and Supplements. Projects involving broadening participation efforts in any of the fields normally supported by CISE are eligible. Alliance projects (but not necessarily Demonstration Projects or Supplements) should be comprehensive, covering a wide range of computing areas.

Alliances

The BPC program seeks to build broad Alliances – joining academic institutions of higher learning with secondary schools, industry, government, professional societies, and other not-for-profit organizations – to implement comprehensive programs that address underrepresentation in the computing disciplines. Alliances will (1) develop and implement interventions that support students, (2) create sustainable changes in culture and practices at the institutional, departmental, and organizational levels, and (3) serve as models and repositories for effective practices in broadening participation. The emphasis will be on activities that will have significant impact both in the quality of opportunities afforded to students and in the number of students potentially served. Alliances that leverage BPC efforts both across and within underrepresented communities are strongly encouraged.

An Alliance consists of two or more institutions or organizations. At least one participant must be a degree-granting, academic institution of higher learning located in the U.S. its territories or possessions, or a consortium of such institutions. One participant must be designated as the lead for the project. Institutions and organizations can be added over the course of the project.

An Alliance should address underrepresentation with a coordinated and comprehensive set of implementation projects. Complementary research that informs Alliance activities can be included. Proposals should clearly describe the objectives and strategies with respect to the underrepresented groups served. Strategies may include, but are not limited to:

• Development and implementation of outreach programs to create positive engagement of students at all levels in the computing disciplines,

• Development of immersive bridge programs to increase the preparedness of students making critical transitions in the academic pipeline: from high school to college, from 2 to 4 year postsecondary programs, from undergraduate to graduate education, or from graduate school to the professoriate,

• Support for student participation in enriched research and internship programs that are part of a comprehensive set of student mentoring and support activities,

• Development of systemic mentoring and mentor training programs,

• Development of student networks and peer support programs,

• Support for students to attend conferences and mechanisms to maximize the benefits they get from their attendance,

• Development of innovative methods for career counseling and career placement,

• Development of programs and incentives for faculty and student exchanges in support of collaborative research and education activities,

• Support for faculty as they enter the professoriate so that they can become actively and competitively engaged in research, and

• Research and assessment activities aimed at informing the projects and activities of the Alliance.

These activities are merely illustrative of the broad range of activities that are possible under the program. Other innovative activities are encouraged.

Institutions with documented success in producing minority degrees in the computing disciplines are strongly encouraged to participate. Alliances are encouraged to partner with institutions that graduate large numbers of undergraduate students from the underrepresented groups (e.g., Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), Tribal Colleges and Universities, and institutions with strong programs serving persons with disabilities such as Gallaudet University). They are also encouraged to develop linkages with other related NSF-supported programs including (but not limited to) the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP), the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP), the Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP), the program for Increasing the Participation and Advancement of Women in Academic Science and Engineering Careers (ADVANCE), and the CI-Team program. The BPC program is not intended to support efforts that involve primarily curriculum development or fellowships, nor is it intended to support efforts primarily aimed at K-12 intervention (although in each case, such interventions can be part of a broader set of activities).

Competitive projects must include evaluation and assessment components that can effectively document both successes and failures. Awardees must set (and meet) measurable goals and collect evidence to determine progress toward those goals. Awardees must also participate in a BPC program-level evaluation, and supply data (disaggregated by ethnicity, gender, and discipline). Alliance proposals must include a comprehensive dissemination plan.

In support of these activities, the BPC program provides funding in a variety of cost categories, including:

• Provision for faculty release time and summer salary,

• Program coordination and clerical support,

• Special workshop/seminar support costs,

• Participant costs,

• Peer mentoring stipends,

• Faculty/student travel between institutions (for recruitment, joint research, etc.), and

• Evaluation and assessment costs.

BPC is not intended to be a fellowship program. Allowable student support is limited to individual skill development (e.g. participation in special seminars and colloquia or bridge/transition programs), involvement in research (e.g. stipends or salaries for academic year or summer research programs), related personal career counseling and mentoring, and other activities designed to enhance student experiences and student/faculty/mentor interaction. If financial support is requested, proposers must clearly explain the need being addressed, as well as student recruitment, selection, and accountability criteria. Further, the program is not intended to fund faculty research programs except where that support is given to junior faculty to increase their potential for participating competitively in the research community with the aim of increasing the pool of role models and mentors available to students from underrepresented groups. BPC program funds are not intended to replace funding for existing programs. In each case, funding requested must be clearly justified as necessary to the successful completion of the project. Budgets and proposed projects should be appropriate for the stage of development of the Alliance. If an increase in activities warrants, Alliances can submit proposals for supplemental funding.

Demonstration Projects

The Demonstration Project component seeks to develop innovative projects and strategies that could be effectively adopted by BPC Alliances. Typically Demonstration Projects will be pilots which, if proven successful, could be scaled for larger impact. It is anticipated that these projects will have a smaller scope and a more narrow focus than Alliance projects. They might target, for example, one underrepresented community, a specific point in the academic pipeline, or a single impediment to full participation in computing. As in the case of Alliances, Demonstration Projects can include complementary research aimed at informing the development of the project.

Proposed Demonstration Projects should fall within the scope of Alliance activities as described above. Proposers should demonstrate an understanding of the issues involved in underrepresentation and a commitment to addressing them. Unlike the Alliance awards, Demonstration Project awards may be made to a single institution or organization. Like Alliances, projects must have clearly defined objectives and strategies with respect to underrepresented groups served, and they must include strong evaluation and assessment components that document both their successes and failures.

Supplements

Too often efforts at Broadening Participation are left to a dedicated few. This component of the BPC program aims to involve more members of the computing research community in significant BPC projects by funding supplements to existing CISE grants. The supplements are intended to support innovative projects led by single investigators (or small groups of co-investigators) aimed at the inclusion of additional students and researchers from the underrepresented communities in their research area and activities.

Supported activities can be similar to those described for Alliances as above, but their focus should be on engaging students and faculty from the underrepresented communities in a specific research area. Supplements might fund, for example, summer schools to introduce students to a computing research topic, tutorial sessions and additional mentoring at research conferences, student exchanges between research labs, or area-specific student research forums. Proposed projects should have clearly defined objects and strategies, and should include an evaluation and assessment plan.

As described in the Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions below, CISE PI's interested in submitting a BPC supplement request MUST first submit a letter of intent through FastLane or before the due dates stated in this solicitation. If CISE decides to consider the supplemental request for funding, the PI will receive an invitation to submit. Supplemental requests will be considered for funding ONLY after such an invitation has been extended; at that point, the PI should submit the request for BPC supplemental support electronically through FastLane. See details in Section V.

• Organization Limit: There is no organization limit. However, at least one participant in an Alliance proposal must be a degree-granting, academic institution of higher learning located in the U.S., its territories or possessions, or a consortium of such institutions.

• PI Eligibility Limit: None specified
• Limit on Number of Proposals: None specified

Alliance awards can range from $200,000 to $1,000,000 per year for three years; average award size will be $200,000 the first year, increasing to $500,000 after that year.

Demonstration Project award size will average $200,000 per year for two or three years.

Supplements will be for a maximum of $200,000 for a one to two year project; average supplement award size will be $100,000.

Funds for the BPC program are estimated to be $14 million in FY 2006. Estimated number of awards is subject to the quality and size of the proposals submitted and the availability of funds.

The following instructions supplement the GPG guidelines.

I. Instructions for Alliance and Demonstration Projects

Proposal Title. To assist NSF staff in sorting proposals for review, proposal titles should begin with an acronym that identifies the solicitation being addressed.

• "BPC-A:" for Alliances, and
• "BPC-DP:" for Demonstration Projects.

Project Description Page Limit.

Standard page limits apply for Demonstration Project proposals. The body of the project description of an Alliance proposal must fit within the standard 15 page limit but an additional 1 to 5 pages can be included for Results from Prior NSF support.

Project Description Content. Project descriptions should include the following sections.

• Project Goals and Outcomes. Clearly describe the goals and anticipated outcomes of the proposed project. Project goals should be clearly informed by the participating organizations' demonstrated knowledge of factors affecting the successful recruitment and retention of students from the underrepresented communities targeted through undergraduate study, graduate study, and academic career entry.

• Implementation Plan. Describe in detail the activities to be undertaken to realize the project goals and anticipated outcomes.

  • Highlight the potential for successfully aligning with similar programs and efforts (NSF-supported or otherwise) within and across the targeted communities to ensure a comprehensive, integrated effort.

  • Describe the creative, strategic actions that promise significant improvements in underrepresented group participation and retention in computing disciplines.

  • Describe the research base on which the project builds and, if appropriate, describe the research that will further contribute to the knowledge base associated with increasing the participation of underrepresented groups in computing.

  • Describe plans to disseminate the results of the project, both positive and negative.

• Partnership Plan. (Required for Alliance proposals. Required for Demonstration Project proposals submitted by partnerships.) Provide evidence that the participating organizations will work together to realize the project goals and that all key stakeholders (including faculty and administrators) participated in project planning and design. Provide evidence of the institutional and organizational commitment to the project goals. Describe the experiences of the participating organizations in dealing with the non-academic components of undergraduate and graduate education that are necessary to insure the success of underrepresented minorities, persons with disabilities, and women in obtaining computing degrees. Describe the commitment of the participating organizations to sustain the proposed institutional and organizational change.

• Evaluation Plan. Describe the evaluation plan that will guide the project progress and measure its impact, including a description of the instruments/metrics by which the project leaders will measure, document, and report on the project's progress.

II. Instructions for Supplement Proposals

A CISE PI interested in submitting a BPC supplement request MUST submit a letter of intent through FastLane on or before the due dates stated in this solicitation. The letter of intent should include the PI's existing CISE grant number, the proposed budget request level, and a one paragraph description of the proposed supplemental project. CISE BPC program officers may contact the PI directly for further information. If CISE decides to consider the supplemental request for funding, an invitation to submit will be issued to the PI. Supplemental requests will be considered for funding ONLY after such an invitation has been extended. At that point, a request for a BPC Supplement should be electronically submitted through FastLane in accordance with the GPG guidelines for the submission of requests for supplemental support. It must include a summary of the proposed BPC project, a justification of the need for the funds, and a budget, highlighting the use by budget category, of the additional funding.

June 14, 2005
Letters of Intent are required for BPC Supplement Requests ONLY. Letters of Intent must be submitted through FastLane.

August 03, 2005
Letters of Intent are required for BPC Supplement Requests ONLY.

December 07, 2005
Letters of Intent are required for BPC Supplement Requests ONLY.

First Wednesday in April
in 2006 and 2007. Letters of Intent are required for BPC Supplement Requests ONLY.

First Wednesday in August
in 2006 and 2007. Letters of Intent are required for BPC Supplement Requests ONLY.

First Wednesday in December
in 2006 and 2007. Letters of Intent are required for BPC Supplement Requests ONLY.

June 14, 2005
BPC Alliance and Demonstration Projects ONLY

April 05, 2006
BPC Alliance and Demonstration Projects ONLY

April 04, 2007
BPC Alliance and Demonstration Projects ONLY