CyberAICorps Scholarship for Service
NSF funds U.S.-based higher education and eligible nonprofit education/research organizations to run scholarship-for-service and educational innovation projects that prepare AI and cybersecurity professionals for government service.
⚑ Scholarship Track is limited to accredited U.S.-campus IHEs; community colleges may participate only as sub-awardees on Scholarship Track. · Innovation Track also allows certain U.S.-based nonprofit non-academic organizations directly associated with educational or research activities. · Scholarship recipients must be U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents and must work in AI/cybersecurity government service after graduation for at least the scholarship length. · Program is a scholarship-for-service mechanism with workforce-placement/service-obligation requirements rather than a pure research award.
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 60 good | technical depth: central; funds training education (capped) |
| IPPRA | 40 partial | portfolio topics: cybersecurity, national_security_defense (primary); signature methods: community engaged, policy analysis; social/behavioral work is minor; funds training education, not research (capped); capped at 40 (non-research funding) |
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 15 none | deep-tech content; no commercialization signal |
Description
Government and the nation face a talent shortfall in artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity. The CyberAICorps Scholarship for Service (CyberAI SFS) program welcomes proposals that address AI and cybersecurity education and workforce development. CyberAI refers to using AI in cybersecurity as well as providing security and resilience for AI systems.
The Scholarship Track provides funding to establish, or to continue, scholarship for service programs with integrated AI and cybersecurity components (CyberAI). Scholarship recipients must be U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents and work after graduation in the AI or cybersecurity mission of a government organization for a period of at least the length of the scholarship.
The Innovation Tracksupports projects that enhance preparation of AI and/or cybersecurity professionals. Projects may expand existing educational opportunities, curricula, degree programs, educational pathways, methods and interventions, and partnerships among institutions of higher education, government, and employers.
Two statutesauthorize this program: 15 USC §7442 (cybersecurity) and 42 USC §18993 (AI). CyberAI SFS aligns with the Executive Order 14277 to prioritize AI within scholarship for service programs. CyberAI is managed by NSF’s Directorate for STEM Education in collaboration with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Eligibility
*Who May Submit Proposals: Proposals may only be submitted by the following: - For the Scholarship Track:
<ul> <li>Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) accredited in, and having a campus located in the US, acting on behalf of their faculty members. Community colleges are eligible only as sub-awardees of a partnering four-year SFS institutions as described in the Program Description section.</li> </ul>
For the Innovation Track:
<ul> <li>Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs): Two- and four-year IHEs (including community colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in the U.S., acting on behalf of their faculty members. Special Instructions for International Branch Campuses of US IHEs: If the proposal includes funding to be provided to an international branch campus of a US institution of higher education (including through use of sub-awards and consultant arrangements), the proposer must explain the benefit(s) to the project of performance at the international branch campus and justify why the project activities cannot be performed at the US campus.</li> <li>Non-profit, non-academic organizations: Independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, professional societies, and similar organizations located in the U.S. that are directly associated with educational or research activities.</li> </ul>
*Who May Serve as PI:
<span>As of the date the proposal is submitted, any PI, co-PI, or other Senior/Key project personnel must hold either:</span>
<ul> <li>a tenured or tenure-track position, or</li> <li>a primary, full-time, paid appointment in a research, administration, or teaching position</li> </ul>
<span>at a US-based campus of an organization eligible to submit to this solicitation (see above), with exceptions granted for family or medical leave, as determined by the submitting organization. Individuals with primary appointments at for-profit non-academic organizations or at overseas branch campuses of U.S. institutions of higher education are not eligible.</span>
Apply
View on Grants.gov → CONTACT: U.S. National Science Foundation <grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov>
Proposal brief SEE AN EXAMPLE →
A one-page internal memo: fit assessment, submission requirements, document scaffold, and next steps dated back from the deadline — tailored to your project idea if you add one.
Proposal shell · National Science Foundation conventions SEE AN NSF EXAMPLE →
Funder-faithful document skeletons — National Science Foundation's document set with section headings, page limits, reviewer guidance, and writing prompts; add a project idea to get [DRAFT] starter bullets. Download as .md for Word or Overleaf.