Directory of Federal Grant-making
Programs for Environmentally-related Education

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FORMAL EDUCATION

Opportunities for Enhancing Diversity in the Geosciences (OEDG)

Agency		National Science Foundation
Program Name		Opportunities for Enhancing Diversity in the Geosciences (OEDG)
Program Website		http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=12726&org=ERE&from=home – direct link http://www.nsf.gov/funding/ -link to funding page
Eligible Applicantes		Universities and colleges, Non-profit, non-academic organizations, For-profit organizations, State and Local Governments, Unaffiliated Individual, Foreign organizations , Other Federal agencies.
Budget FY06		46000000
Budget FY07
Range of Awards		Track 1 awards are for a maximum duration of 2 years. The maximum allowable funding request under Track 1 is $100,000, but the average award size is expected to be on the order of $50,000 - $75,000. Track 2 awards are for a maximum duration of 5 years. The maximum allowable funding request under Track 2 is $2 million, but the average award size is expected to be on the order of $1 million.
Number of Awards		Total:42, Track 1:35, Track 2: 7
Percent of Applicants Awarded
Cost Sharing Requirements		None Required
Program Description		The Directorate for Geosciences of the National Science Foundation supports research and education in the atmospheric, earth, and ocean sciences. The Opportunities for Enhancing Diversity in the Geosciences (OEDG) program is designed to address the fact that certain groups are underrepresented in the geosciences relative to the proportions of those groups in the general population. The primary goal of the OEDG program is to increase participation in the geosciences by African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans (American Indians and Alaskan Natives), Native Pacific Islanders (Polynesians or Micronesians), and persons with disabilities. A secondary goal of the program is to increase the perceived relevance of the geosciences among broad and diverse segments of the population. The OEDG program supports activities that will increase the number of members of underrepresented groups that • Are involved in formal pre-college geoscience education programs; • Pursue bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees in the geosciences; • Enter geoscience careers; and • Participate in informal geoscience education programs. The OEDG program consists of two tracks, Track 1: Proof-of-Concept Projects, and Track 2: Full-Scale Projects. Track 1: Proof-of-Concept Projects - This track supports short-term activities. Track 1 projects include activities that will occur only one time, as well as those that are intended as the testing phase of an anticipated long-term Full-Scale Project. Track 2: Full-Scale Projects - This track supports longer-term activities that will identify and promote pathways to geoscience careers among members of underrepresented groups. Proposals to the OEDG competition are solicited every other year. The next competition will be held in FY 2006.
Contact Info		Jill Karsten Program Director for Diversity and Education Directorate for Geosciences Phone: 703-292-8500 Email: jkarsten@nsf.gov