Federal Project Grant Summary

The National Science Foundation's Division of Undergraduate Education awarded a $750,000 Project Grant (CFDA 47.076: STEM Education) on March 15, 2026, to support a collaborative initiative addressing STEM persistence and retention among talented, low-income students. The project, administered through Cleveland Community College in Shelby, North Carolina, in partnership with the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, Gaston College, and South Piedmont Community College, will provide annual scholarships of up to $15,000 to at least 120 scholars pursuing Associate in Science and Bachelor's degrees in Biology, Data Science, or Computer Science. The award will fund through February 28, 2031.

The primary services and support mechanisms include direct financial aid to address unmet financial needs, faculty mentoring, cohort-based learning through shared courses and undergraduate research opportunities, service-learning activities, tutoring, success coaching, and targeted career services. The project emphasizes developing scholars' transfer and science capital while generating research data on effective retention strategies for low-income STEM students. By strengthening degree completion rates and workforce readiness in critical STEM fields, this initiative directly contributes to the national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians while supporting economic competitiveness and domestic workforce development.