The Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) program is administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF), an independent federal agency with the mission of promoting the progress of science and advancing the national health, prosperity, and welfare. The program operates under the Directorate for STEM Education through the Division of Equity for Excellence in STEM. AGEP seeks to increase the number of historically underrepresented minority faculty in STEM fields by funding collaborative research projects that address systemic and institutional inequities affecting doctoral candidates, postdoctoral scholars, and early-career faculty. These populations include African Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Native Pacific Islanders.

AGEP supports three specific funding tracks: the AGEP Catalyst Alliance (ACA), AGEP Faculty Career Pathways Alliance Model (FC-PAM), and AGEP Institutional Transformation Alliance (ITA). Each track serves a unique purpose. ACA grants facilitate foundational self-assessment work, identifying institutional inequities and preparing strategic equity plans. FC-PAM grants focus on developing and institutionalizing career pathway models for AGEP populations within similar institutions. The ITA grants support long-term systemic and institutional changes that enhance equity and are designed to be sustained beyond the life of the grant. Collaborative proposals among institutions with similar characteristics are required for all tracks.

Funding ranges depend on the track. ACA grants offer up to $400,000 over two years, FC-PAM grants provide up to $2.9 million over five years, and ITA grants offer up to $4.4 million over five years. NSF anticipates awarding 2–8 new Alliances per year, with 6–32 total awards annually. A preliminary proposal is required for ITA applications, and a letter of intent is required for FC-PAM proposals. Submission of proposals must be completed through Research.gov or Grants.gov, and NSF has specific formatting and preparation guidelines as outlined in the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide.

Eligible applicants include two- and four-year institutions of higher education (IHEs), including community colleges, that are accredited and have a campus located in the United States. There are no restrictions on the number of proposals per organization or per principal investigator (PI). Proposals must engage a team-based approach involving change agents across administration, research, and faculty ranks. Teams are expected to use intersectional approaches that consider race, gender, and other identity variables throughout their proposal.

The grant evaluation process involves both merit review and specific additional AGEP review criteria. Reviewers assess proposals based on intellectual merit and broader impacts, as well as the proposal’s effectiveness in promoting systemic change, institutionalization, and the use of intersectional perspectives. Special conditions apply to awards, including mandatory site visits and detailed annual and final reporting requirements that include demographic data and project evaluations.

Proposals for the AGEP program follow an annual schedule. ACA proposals have submission deadlines in March and August. FC-PAM proposals require a letter of intent by early June, with full proposals due in late August. ITA proposals require a preliminary proposal due by the second Tuesday in February annually, with invited full proposals due by the last Friday in August. All submissions are due by 5 p.m. local time of the submitting organization. Contact information for inquiries is available at agep@nsf.gov, and support is also provided via the NSF Help Desk and Grants.gov support channels.