National Science Foundation (NSF): Computer Science for All (CSforAll): Research and RPPs - FY 2025
| Agency: | U.S. National Science Foundation |
|---|---|
| CFDA: | 47.070, 47.076 |
| Federal FON: | 24-555 |
| Office: | Directorate for STEM Education Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering Division of Computing and Communication Foundations Division of Information and Intelligent Systems Division of Computer and Network Systems Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure |
| Multipart Grant: | No |
| Next Due: | 02/11/2026 (Proposal) |
|---|---|
| Solicitation Date: | 02/20/2025 |
| Match Required: | No |
| Actual Funds: | Unspecified |
Summary:
The purpose of this program is to provide all U.S. students with the opportunity to participate in computer science (CS) and computational thinking (CT) education in their schools at the preK-12 levels. This program focuses on both research and research-practice partnerships (RPPs) that foster the research and development needed to bring CS and CT to all schools. Specifically, this program aims to provide high school teachers with the preparation, professional development (PD), and ongoing support they need to teach rigorous CS courses; provide preK-8 teachers with the instructional materials and preparation they need to integrate CS and CT into their teaching; and provide schools and districts with the resources needed to define and evaluate multigrade pathways in CS and CT.
Proposals will be funded in the following strands that collectively foster design, implementation at scale, and/or research:
- RPP strands:
- PreK-8 strand: designing, developing, and piloting instructional materials that integrate CS and CT into preK-8 classrooms
- High school strand: preparing and supporting teachers to teach rigorous CS courses
- PreK-12 pathways strand: designing pathways that support school districts in developing policies and supports for incorporating CS and/or CT across all grades and potentially the transition into introductory levels at community or four-year institutions of higher education and/or the workforce
- Research strand: projects focused on building strategically instrumental or high leverage knowledge about the learning and teaching of introductory computer science to support key CS and/or CT understandings and abilities for all students
Proposals in the preK-8 strand, high school strand, and the pathways strand must involve RPPs, whereas proposals in the research strand are not subject to this requirement. Proposals in any strand must address, in a significant manner, longstanding under-representation of many groups in computing relative to their participation in preK-12, postsecondary education, and the workforce.
Proposals in the RPP strands may be submitted in the following three size classes:
- Small proposals: designed to support initial steps in building a strong and well-integrated RPP team that could successfully compete for medium or large proposals
- Medium proposals: designed to support promising approaches and feasibility studies by a well-defined RPP team
- Large proposals: designed to support the scaling of an evidence-based approach and implementation studies by an established RPP team that has demonstrated sustainability
Projects in the RPP strands should provide research results or findings on one or more of the following:
- Strategies for improvement or implementation that address the shared goal of the researcher/practitioner collaborators
- Conceptual frameworks that address issues of scale, human capacity, and technical support for implementation and improvement in educational systems
- Measures of organizational learning that assess the progress of implementation and improvement
- Sustainable communities that can support implementation and improvement in the identified educational system
- Documented practices with an ongoing forum for continued engagement of collaborators from various levels of the educational system
High-quality proposals in any of the RPP strands will:
- Delineate clearly the CS/CT content to be taught
- Address working with communities that support the full spectrum of diverse computing talent, including the participation of groups that have been traditionally under-represented or underserved in computing, demonstrating knowledge of the relevant literature on working with the identified communities, and providing concrete plans of action and clear metrics for documenting outcomes
- Document the extent to which the approach has already scaled and its potential for further scaling
- Specify jointly developed research questions, and document the investment of the partners in those questions
- Provide work plans for implementation, improvement, data collection, analysis, and use
- Draw from RPP literature on assessing/evaluating the quality of the partnership to articulate plans for assessing the success of the work of the RPP
Eligibility Notes:
Eligible applicants are:
- Institutions of higher education (IHEs): two- and four-year IHEs, including community colleges, accredited in, and having a campus located in the United States, acting on behalf of their faculty members
- Nonprofit, non-academic organizations: independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, professional societies, and similar organizations located in the United States that are directly associated with educational or research activities
- Tribal nations: American Indian or Alaska Native tribes, bands, nations, pueblos, villages, or communities that the Secretary of Interior acknowledges as a federally recognized tribe
Collaborative proposals in which investigators from two or more organizations wish to collaborate on a unified project may be submitted.
Proposals in the preK-8 strand, high school strand, and the pathways strand must involve research-practice partnerships (RPPs), whereas proposals in the research strand are not subject to this requirement. RPPs require well-organized teams of researchers; preK-12 practitioners; and potentially other community, foundation, policy, and industry partners.
There is no limit on the number of proposals that may be submitted per organization; however, a proposal may be submitted to only one strand.
Previously declined proposals may be resubmitted, but only after substantial revision.
There are no restrictions or limits on individuals who may serve as a principal investigator (PI). In addition, there are no restrictions or limits on the number of proposals on which an individual may serve as PI or co-PI.
Federal agencies and federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs) are generally not eligible to apply, except under exceptional circumstances and with prior funding agency approval.
Eligible Applicants:
Academic InstitutionsConsortia
Native American Tribe
Non Profits
Other
Application Notes:
Proposals must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. applicant's local time on February 11, 2026.
Proposals must be submitted online at www.research.gov or www.ecivis.com/grants.gov. All collaborative proposals arranged as separate submissions from multiple organizations must be submitted via www.research.gov.
Proposals submitted via Research.gov must include:
- Single-copy documents
- Cover sheet
- Project summary (1 page max)
- Table of contents
- Project description (15 pages max)
- References cited
- Budget
- Budget justification (5 pages max)
- Subaward budget justification (if applicable; 5 pages max each)
- Facilities, equipment, and other resources
- Senior/key personnel documents
- Special information and supplementary documentation
Proposals submitted via Grants.gov must include:
- SF 424 (R&R)
- Project/performance site location(s)
- Research and related other project information
- Research and related budget
- R&R subaward budget attachment(s) (if applicable)
- NSF cover page
- NSF senior/key person profile (expanded)
- NSF deviation authorization (if applicable)
- NSF list of suggested reviewers or reviewers not to include (if applicable)
Refer to the NSF Proposal Guide or the NSF Grants.gov Guide for additional information on proposal formatting.
In addition to standard research proposals, applicants may submit other types of proposals to this program. Refer to pages 81-100 of the NSF Proposal Guide file for additional information regarding other types of proposals.
The following are required in order to submit an application:
- Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number
- SAM (System for Award Management) registration
Applicants may obtain a UEI number and verify or renew SAM registration status at www.ecivis.com/sam.
Proposals will be evaluated according to the following merit review criteria:
- Intellectual merit
- Broader impacts
Proposals will also be evaluated according to the following program-specific criteria:
- Whether the proposal identifies the characteristics and needs of the intended population(s) to be served
- Whether the proposal includes specific plans or strategies for addressing or accommodating the particular needs of participants of the intended population(s)
Refer to the NOFA file, the NSF Proposal Guide, and the NSF Grants.gov Guide for additional application information.
| Match Required: | No |
|---|---|
| Actual Funds: | Unspecified |
Match Notes:
Matching funds are not required for this program. Inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing in the proposal budget is prohibited; however, applicants may contribute voluntary uncommitted cost sharing.
Funding Notes:
An unspecified amount of funding is available to support awards through this program. Maximum award amounts and award periods will vary according to strand, as follows:
- Small research-practice partnerships (RPPs): up to $300,000 for up to two years, plus funds for embedded research experiences for undergraduates supplements
- Medium RPPs: up to $1 million for up to three years, plus funds for embedded research experiences for undergraduates supplements
- Large RPPs: up to $2 million for up to four years, plus funds for embedded research experiences for undergraduates supplements
- Research: up to $750,000 for up to three years, plus funds for embedded research experiences for undergraduates supplements
Award recipients may authorize a one-time extension of the award period of up to 12 months if additional time beyond the established end date is required to assure adequate completion of the original scope of work within the funds already made available. If additional time beyond the extension is required and exceptional circumstances warrant, award recipients must submit a formal extension request to the funding agency.
Projects should budget to have two team members attend an in-person meeting of principal investigators (PIs) annually.
In general, funding will not support:
- Technical assistance
- Pilot plant efforts
- Research requiring security classification
- Product development for commercial marketing
- Market research for a particular project or invention
- Biological research on mechanisms of disease in humans, biological research to develop animal models of such conditions, or the development or testing of procedures for their treatment
- Payment of fees
Examples of ineligible costs include:
- Entertainment
- Meals and coffee breaks
- Alcoholic beverages
- Rental of property owned by individuals or entities affiliated with National Science Foundation (NSF) award recipients for use as home office workspace
- Procuring or obtaining the equipment, services, or systems identified in section 889 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)
Contacts:
(See Contact Notes)
Agency Address
National Science Foundation
2415 Eisenhower Avenue
Alexandria, VA 22314
Contact Notes:
Questions should be directed to the program contacts provided on page 2 of the NOFA file.
Proposals must be submitted online at www.research.gov or www.ecivis.com/grants.gov. All collaborative proposals arranged as separate submissions from multiple organizations must be submitted via www.research.gov.
The agency address provided is for reference purposes only.
Files:
NOFA File: US16539_NOFA_FY2025.pdf (1.3 Mb)Federal Forms:
NSF Grants.gov Guide (742.4 Kb)NSF Proposal Guide (2.9 Mb)
File Notes:
The NOFA file contains the full solicitation for this program. The NSF Proposal Guide and the NSF Grants.gov Guide are attached. Previous awards issued through NSF programs may be accessed online at www.nsf.gov/awardsearch.
Grant Keywords
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EducationTraining & Vocational Services
Information Technology/Telecommunications
Science/Technology