The National Science Foundation (NSF) is soliciting proposals for the Computer Science for All (CSforAll: Research and Research-Practice Partnerships (RPPs)) funding opportunity. The goal of this program is to ensure that all U.S. students have access to computer science (CS) and computational thinking (CT) education at the PreK-12 level. The NSF aims to support both research and RPPs that contribute to the effective integration of CS and CT education into schools. The program is focused on providing high school teachers with professional development and instructional support, equipping PreK-8 teachers with appropriate instructional materials, and enabling schools and districts to establish structured pathways for CS and CT learning.

The program supports proposals across four primary strands: PreK-8, High School, PreK-12 Pathways, and Research. The PreK-8 strand focuses on designing and piloting instructional materials to integrate CS and CT into early education. The High School strand aims to address teacher preparation and professional development to ensure the availability of qualified CS educators. The PreK-12 Pathways strand is dedicated to developing and evaluating multi-grade pathways to support consistent and equitable CS education throughout a student’s academic journey. The Research strand is dedicated to producing high-leverage knowledge about the teaching and learning of CS and CT to support evidence-based educational practices.

A total of $20 million in funding is anticipated, with 27 awards expected to be distributed across various project types. The funding is divided among small, medium, and large RPPs, as well as research-specific awards. Small RPP projects can receive up to $300,000 over 2 years, medium RPPs up to $1 million over 3 years, large RPPs up to $2 million over 4 years, and research-specific awards up to $750,000 over 3 years. The program requires applicants to address issues related to broadening participation in computing, ensuring that underrepresented and underserved populations are included.

Eligible applicants include institutions of higher education (two-year and four-year colleges and universities), non-profit non-academic organizations, and federally recognized Tribal Nations. There are no restrictions on the number of proposals per organization or per principal investigator (PI). Proposals must be submitted through Research.gov or Grants.gov and adhere to the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG). Cost-sharing is not required, and voluntary committed cost-sharing is prohibited.

The application deadline for full proposals is June 4, 2024, and February 12, 2025, with recurring deadlines on the second Wednesday in February annually thereafter. The NSF’s merit review process evaluates proposals based on intellectual merit, broader impacts, and additional broadening participation criteria. Award conditions follow standard NSF policies, and recipients must comply with annual reporting and project outcome reporting requirements.

For further inquiries, applicants may contact program officers, including Allyson Kennedy (aykenned@nsf.gov, 703-292-8950), Fengfeng Ke (fke@nsf.gov, 703-292-2411), Jeffrey Forbes (jforbes@nsf.gov, 703-292-8950), Michael Ford (miford@nsf.gov, 703-292-5153), and Margaret Hjalmarson (mhjalmar@nsf.gov, 703-292-5186). The general program contact email is CSFORALLRPP@nsf.gov.