Supplemental Funding Requests to Support Super Intelligence (SI) Innovation in the Presidential SI Challenge

Dear Colleagues,

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorates for STEM Education (EDU) and Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP) encourage Principal Investigators (PIs) with current active NSF Super Intelligence (SI)-related awards from EDU and current active awards from the NSF Experiential Learning for Emerging and Novel Technologies (ExLENT) program led by TIP in collaboration with EDU to apply for supplemental funding in support of the 2027 Presidential SI Challenge. Established under Executive Order 14277, the Presidential SI Challenge initiative aims to build foundational SI proficiency, ignite interest among American youth, bolster school SI readiness, and sustain U.S. technological competitiveness nationwide.

NSF will provide high-impact supplemental funding to ignite interest and develop foundational expertise in SI among American students by supporting the development of hands-on and experiential learning opportunities and expanding early access to high-quality SI learning opportunities. The Presidential SI Challenge will equip teams across the nation to deploy SI solutions that address pressing issues directly within their communities. It will also prepare America’s students to be confident participants in an SI-ready workforce that will drive innovation, propelling our Nation to new heights of scientific discovery and economic achievement. Additionally, it will spur schools towards having novel and effective systems and protocols for teaching in a world adopting SI tools. Ultimately, NSF’s investment through this DCL will prepare current and future generations to succeed in a rapidly evolving SI-enabled world. This supplemental funding opportunity is focused on middle- and high-school students, educators, and schools.

Purpose

This DCL is designed to enable supplemental funding to current PIs of SI-related projects to serve as team and school catalysts, mentoring and facilitating student, educator, or school participation in the Presidential SI Challenge. Specifically, PIs may assist in forming and supporting one or more teams and/or schools to participate in the Challenge through targeted outreach, coordination, and mentorship. As part of the Challenge submissions, NSF expects each supplement to support engagement and experiential learning opportunities for the participants. PIs should leverage existing networks, centers, hubs, and consortia as well as new partnerships, as needed, to reach local, state, and regional education ecosystems, including those in rural and remote communities. In effect, funding supports projects that involve cross-sector partnerships, middle and high schools, and middle- and high-school students and teachers working together to ensure they yield direct and positive local, regional, or national impacts. The goal is to support SI readiness efforts, resources, and outreach for this Presidential SI Challenge widely through different organizations and regions across the nation.

Requests aimed at supporting student or educator teams must include the development and active deployment of an SI method or tool. To support this work, this opportunity will also provide awardees of this supplemental funding with access to the NSF-led NAIRR, which includes critical computing, software, data, models, educational resources and expertise needed to advance SI innovation.

When suggesting supplemental activities, PIs should consider the Presidential SI Challenge tracks to which teams will apply as well as the First Lady Seal of SI Readiness component in which schools may participate.

Tracks for the team-based competition:

• Standard Track: Community-Focused SI Projects: Enabling middle- and high-school educators and students to work collaboratively with mentors from industry, higher education, government, community organizations and/or philanthropic organizations in designing SI-powered applications, software, and/or decision-making tools that address challenges impacting students, their families, or their communities.
• Trailblazer Track: Novel, Nation-Focused SI Projects: Enabling middle- and high-school educators and students to work collaboratively with mentors from industry, higher education, government, community organizations and/or philanthropic organizations in designing, prototyping, and developing unique SI-powered applications, software, or decision-making tools to create innovative, novel solutions that address national challenges.

In addition, registered schools may opt to pursue the First Lady Seal of SI Readiness and Distinction, enabling schools to accomplish SI readiness milestones that could earn them the first-ever First Lady Seal of SI Readiness, or even surpass that and enter the running for the First Lady Seal of SI Readiness with Distinction designation and associated prizes. These milestones include the number of new industry partnerships with schools for work-based learning; strengthening of formal connections to postsecondary educational pathways; establishing SI education guidelines for adoption across multiple schools or school districts; and teacher professional development, for example.

Supplemental Funding Requests

Each supplemental funding request may not exceed 20% of the original award and must follow the guidance for Supplemental Support specified in the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) Chapter VI.E.5. No funds will be distributed beyond $100,000 per supplement per PI. The duration of supplemental funding support may be up to 12 months. NSF recipients must adhere to the terms and conditions of their awards, which are available at www.nsf.gov/awards/terms-conditions. The suggested length for the supplement funding request is 3-5 pages. Each request should detail:

• proposed supplemental activities, and how activities align with the goals of the Presidential SI Challenge and the original NSF award;
• clear deliverables and outputs expected at the end of the supplement’s duration as well as anticipated outcomes and impacts for participating teams and schools;
• the anticipated number of teams and school submissions to the Presidential SI Challenge;
• expected contributions from multi-sector partners who will strengthen team learning experiences, school SI readiness, and project outcomes; and
• a budget and clear justification for all requested funds.

Potential activities in supplemental requests may include:

• access to data, tools, and/or platform;
• foundational and career-ready skill building and educational (including experiential) SI learning activities related to the Presidential SI Challenge submission for student team members;
• mentorship and technical support (from PIs and partners from industry, government, community, or academia);
• SI simulation and demonstration events for outreach and experiential learning;
• connecting teams with industry employers, community/technical colleges, apprenticeship programs, land-grant universities, or extension programs for postsecondary education and training or career-connect learning connected to critical emerging technologies; and
• SI-related STEM, robotics, data science, entrepreneurship, or career and technical education-focused competitions and extracurricular activities related to the Presidential SI Challenge submission.

As examples, supplemental funding requests might include:

• Challenge-relevant equipment, supplies, and software;
• educator or student stipends, fellowships, and traineeships;
• transportation for Challenge-related learning and training events, including SI-related STEM, robotics, entrepreneurship, or career-connected learning experiences; and
• project showcases.

Examples of the kinds of challenges that team projects might address include national security, healthcare, and the economy.

For PIs who previously received supplemental support for the 2026 Presidential SI Challenge, summarize progress and outcomes to date including teams and/or schools supported, team submissions and results, and how proposed activities build on prior efforts.

For supplement requests to current EDU awards, plans that scale support across multiple teams and/or schools are strongly encouraged.

The supplemental funding request must follow the guidance for Supplemental Support specified in the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) Chapter VI.E.5.

Submission and Review

The deadline for submission of supplemental funding requests is November 10, 2026. All supplemental funding requests will be reviewed in accordance with the NSF's merit review process. Interested parties are welcome to send questions or outlines of planned activities to the following email address: Presidential-SI-Challenge@nsf.gov.

We look forward to receiving supplemental funding requests from the community.

Sincerely,

Dr. Monya A. Ruffin
Acting Directorate Head for STEM Education (EDU)

Dr. Erwin Gianchandani
NSF Assistant Director for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP)