The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $683,346 Project Grant under the STEM Education (formerly Education and Human Resources) program (CFDA 47.076) to the Washington State Board for Community & Technical Colleges, doing business as Cascadia Community College. The grant, called the Washington Community and Technical College Consortium for Undergraduate Research and Equity (WA CURE), aims to serve the national interest by improving the academic engagement, disciplinary learning, and degree attainment of historically underrepresented students in STEM fields at the 34 participating community and technical colleges across Washington state. Key activities include: 1) a professional development program to expand implementation of high-quality course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs), 2) a "CURE Institutionalization Incubator" to cultivate faculty leadership and organizational change, and 3) new assessment and research infrastructure to foster a culture of scholarly teaching and research on CUREs. The project expects to generate insights to help colleges overcome barriers to CURE adoption and close equity gaps in STEM education.