Advancing Informal STEM Learning | 21 599

Opportunity Information: Apply for 21 599

The Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program is a National Science Foundation (NSF) discretionary grant opportunity focused on improving how people of all ages learn science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) outside traditional classrooms. The program centers on informal learning environments such as museums, science centers, afterschool and summer programs, libraries, community organizations, media platforms, and other public-facing settings where STEM learning happens through hands-on experiences, storytelling, design challenges, exhibits, events, and community-based participation. At its core, AISL funds projects that both create stronger informal STEM learning experiences and build credible, evidence-based knowledge about what works, for whom, and under what conditions.

AISL emphasizes four interconnected goals. First, it aims to advance new approaches and deepen research-based understanding of how informal STEM learning opportunities should be designed and developed for the public. Second, it seeks to broaden access and engagement by supporting multiple pathways into STEM, with attention to reaching diverse audiences and lowering participation barriers in informal settings. Third, it promotes innovative research and improved assessment strategies that can capture learning, interest, identity development, and other outcomes that often look different in informal environments than in formal schooling. Fourth, it supports efforts that actively engage the public across the lifespan, meaning projects can target children, teens, families, adults, and older learners, depending on the context and need.

The program supports six main project types, which give applicants several entry points depending on readiness and scope. Pilots and Feasibility Studies are meant for early-stage ideas where teams need to test whether an approach is workable, attractive to the intended audience, and capable of generating useful evidence. Research in Service to Practice supports research that directly informs real-world informal STEM practice, often through close partnership with practitioners, educators, or community organizations, with results designed to be actionable rather than purely theoretical. Innovations in Development typically fund the creation and iterative refinement of new learning experiences, tools, exhibits, programs, or media, with a clear plan for design-based testing and evidence gathering. Broad Implementation supports scaling or expanding interventions that already show promise, bringing them to more sites, more audiences, or wider distribution channels while continuing to evaluate outcomes. Literature Reviews, Syntheses, or Meta-Analyses fund rigorous efforts to consolidate what is already known across studies and contexts, helping the field identify patterns, gaps, and directions for future work. Conferences support convenings that build field capacity, share knowledge, develop collaborations, and set research or practice agendas in informal STEM learning.

From an administrative standpoint, AISL is offered by the National Science Foundation under Funding Opportunity Number 21-599 and CFDA 47.076, categorized under Science and Technology and other Research and Development. It is a grant mechanism (not a contract), with eligibility listed as unrestricted, meaning a wide range of entity types may apply as long as they meet any specific requirements stated in the full solicitation. The opportunity was created on July 13, 2021, with an original closing date of January 18, 2022. NSF anticipated making about 99 awards, and the listed award ceiling is $3,000,000, indicating that larger, more ambitious projects may be supported when justified by scope, partnership structure, and anticipated impact.

Overall, AISL is designed for organizations and collaborations that want to strengthen informal STEM learning at both the experience level (what the public participates in) and the knowledge level (what the field can reliably say about design, engagement, equity, learning outcomes, and evaluation in informal contexts). It is especially well-suited to teams that can connect strong STEM learning design with meaningful community engagement and credible research or evaluation methods, producing results that can inform practice beyond a single site or one-time program.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Advancing Informal STEM Learning" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.076.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 13, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 18, 2022. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $3,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 99 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

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