Purpose
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) STEM K-12 Grant supports fundamental, applied, and translational research that advances STEM teaching and learning and improves understanding of education across the human lifespan and a range of formal and informal settings. Areas of focus specifically for 2026 grants include learning or instruction, in any field(s) of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM), that occurs in formal education (preK-12) and/or informal learning environments. The program favors the use of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies to enhance STEM teaching and promote learning for all ages--from early childhood through adulthood.
Assistance Listing 47.076 -- STEM Education (formerly Education and Human Resources)
Eligible Entities
Proposals may only be submitted by the following types of organizations:
- U.S.-based and accredited, two- and four- year Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) acting on behalf of their faculty members
- Non-profit, U.S.-based, non-academic organizations such as independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, professional societies and similar organizations that are directly associated with educational or research activities
- State and Local Governments
- American Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, or community that the Secretary of the Interior acknowledges as a federally recognized tribe pursuant to the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994, 25 U.S.C. §§ 5130-5131
- For-profit, U.S.-based commercial organizations, including small businesses, with strong capabilities in scientific or engineering research or education and a passion for innovation
Eligible Activities
The NSF STEM K-12 Grant program awards innovative, exploratory, multidisciplinary, and potentially transformative projects that build theory, generate new knowledge, and inform education practices in a rapidly evolving technological landscape with advances in emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI).
Successful applicants propose projects that may include the following emphases:
- Collaborative and multidisciplinary research that brings together expertise and approaches from various fields
- Partnerships that integrate perspectives from research, practice, and industry
- Input from learners and other critical stakeholders to benefit from the work
- Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed method approaches
- Skills, dispositions, and knowledge needed to succeed in computer science, AI pathways, and technology careers, and more generally build capacity in the STEM workforce
- Cognitive, motivational, or social aspects of learning;
- Innovations in professional resources (curricula, assessments, , media, etc.) for any STEM field
- Advanced research methods and analytical frameworks and tools, such as data science methods and machine learning, to study learning at scale or in complex learning environments;
- Other innovation and advancement related to emerging technologies (e.g., AI, machine learning) and their potential to improve STEM teaching and learning for all learners
- Design-based research that iteratively develops and refines learning environments, instructional models, systems, or approaches
- Foundational studies that advance new conceptual frameworks related to STEM learning and teaching
- Translating research into educational practice and educational practice into fundamental research
Award
Estimated Total Program Funding: $ 30,000,000
Award Floor: $25,000
Award Ceiling: $750,000
Estimated Number of Awards: 40
Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement: No
Important Dates
Posted Date: August 22, 2025
Last Updated Date: August 22, 2025
Closing Date for Applications: Proposals accepted anytime
Next Steps
To view a slide deck of NSF's new approach to its STEM K-12 program, go to
NSF Vision Template.