The NSF Robert Noyce Scholarship program awards grants to institutions of higher education (as defined in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965) in the United States or consortia of such institutions or nonprofit entities that have established consortia among such institutions of higher education to provide scholarships for juniors and seniors who are majoring in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) and stipends for STEM  professionals seeking to become teachers. A goal of the program is to recruit individuals with strong STEM backgrounds who might otherwise not have considered a career in K-12 teaching. Proposals may address either the scholarship or the stipend program or both programs.  

Scholarship and stipend recipients should be selected on the basis of academic merit, with consideration given to financial need and the diversity of participants in the program.  Institutions are expected to provide the program and support to enable scholarship and stipend recipients to obtain teacher certification or licensing and to become successful elementary or secondary teachers. 

This support should be based on effective, evidence-based strategies and should be available to recipients during their participation in the program and continue after their completion of the program to ease the transition into teaching and aid retention during and beyond the obligatory service period.  Program activities for scholarship and stipend recipients may include serving as resources for science and mathematics instruction in K-12 classrooms. 

Up to 15% of the proposed budget may be allocated for administrative and program costs associated with recruiting and preparing the teachers, providing support for the teachers as they begin teaching, and conducting monitoring and evaluation activities. The project leadership team is expected to include STEM discipline faculty.