Sloan Higher Education Program

The Sloan Higher Education Program sits under the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and funds STEM graduate education in the United States. Its mandate is to widen access, transform graduate education with student-centered and inclusive practice, and build a more diverse STEM professoriate. The foundation positions it as one of the main routes for work on fair opportunity in graduate STEM training. The program awards grants of up to $500,000. It uses a rolling two-page LOI for most awards, with the Exemplary Pathways to STEM Graduate Education open call as the fixed-deadline exception on June 1, 2026. Named efforts include University Centers of Exemplary Mentoring, the Sloan Indigenous Graduate Partnership, and Sloan Centers for Systemic Change. Universities are required, and nonprofits and research organizations are also eligible. The strongest fit is a US institution with a concrete plan to expand graduate pathways, change departmental practice, or broaden faculty diversity. Lorelle L. Espinosa leads the program, and the intake structure rewards a concise project description that matches one of the three focus areas rather than a broad education proposal.

Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.