(CLOSED) 2024 Clare Boothe Luce Program for Women in STEM

This opportunity is available to Commonwealth Campuses only. The Provost’s office has identified and is supporting a multi-college proposal for University Park.

Program Aims

The Clare Boothe Luce Program for Women in STEM is dedicated to increasing the participation of women in the sciences and engineering at every level of higher education. The program aims to transform STEM ecosystems across the United States by addressing the structural and cultural barriers that inhibit women’s pursuit of and persistence in STEM fields, expanding educational opportunities for women in STEM, and advancing their leadership in the sciences. As of 2024, the Clare Boothe Luce Program awards grants of up to $750,000 to higher education institutions so they may uncover and address the barriers which prevent or discourage women on their campuses from pursuing and persisting in STEM fields.

Institutions should review the following Foundation guidelines to determine if they are eligible to apply and for detailed information about the program:

• Grants are made to four-year degree-granting institutions, not directly to individuals. Applications to CBL should only be submitted by those with the authority to apply on behalf of the institution.
• Institutions can request up to $750,000 to be used over 5 years.
• Minority-Serving Institutions and institutions with high percentages of Pell Grant-eligible students whose institutional mission and/or strategic plan are in clear alignment with CBL Program goals are encouraged to apply.
• Medical, behavioral, and social science fields are excluded.
• Recipients in all categories must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
• Clare Boothe Luce funds may only be used for domestic study and travel.
• Current CBL Grantees - An institution with a CBL grant may not submit a new application before its current grant has been officially closed.
• Waiting Period - Institutions with a prior CBL grant may not apply for a new grant in any category until five years after the award of their most recent Clare Boothe Luce Program grant (i.e., institutions that received CBL awards in 2021 or later are not eligible to apply for the 2024 competition).

Please see the Clare Boothe Luce Program Guidelines for more detail on the Program and eligibility.

2024 Program Updates

• Beginning in 2024, eligible institutions will apply for funds to support Undergraduate Scholarships, undergraduate research awards, graduate fellowships, and professorships—as they have in the past. New this year is that funds requested may be from any combination of those categories.

• Grant funds, though, will not be used to hire new faculty or to provide aid to students who weren’t already receiving it. Instead, grant funds will replace unrestricted institutional monies that are being used to compensate professors in the sciences who identify as women or to fund financial aid for students studying science who identify as women.

• The unrestricted institutional funding "freed up” by the CBL grant during the grant period will be used to improve the climate for women in the sciences at the grantee institutions. Applicants will propose to undertake specific activities best suited to the needs of their institutions. (For example, applicants might propose to use unrestricted institutional funds to create training programs for faculty or administrators, to conduct relevant institutional research, to develop and pilot mentorship programs, to launch partnerships with K-12 schools, and to offer or expand childcare programs).

• Institutions may apply for CBL grants for any combination of women Undergraduate Scholars, Undergraduate Researchers, Graduate Fellows, and Professors already enrolled or hired at applying institutions. CBL grants may be used only to cover the salaries or financial aid of individuals whose salaries or scholarships are being funded by unrestricted institutional monies at the start of or during the grant term.

• Applying institutions pledge that these individuals will be recognized as Clare Boothe Luce Scholars, Fellows, or Professors while being supported by Foundation funds. Therefore, these individuals cannot simultaneously hold another named award or grant.

• The Clare Boothe Luce Program awards grants of up to $750,000 (over 5-years) to higher education institutions so they may uncover and address the barriers which prevent or discourage women on their campuses from pursuing and persisting in STEM fields.

• Minority-Serving Institutions and institutions with high percentages of Pell Grant-eligible students whose institutional mission and/or strategic plan are in clear alignment with CBL Program goals are encouraged to apply. 

Notes on the CBL Program

What fields are supported by the Clare Boothe Luce Program?

• Support is provided in the physical sciences, such as chemistry and physics, and in computer science, biology, mathematics, and engineering. Medical, social, and behavioral sciences are excluded.
• Medical, behavioral, and social science fields are excluded.

Does the Clare Boothe Luce program have a matching funds requirement?

• Yes, institutions applying for Clare Boothe Luce Program grants are encouraged to provide some match, or to demonstrate how institutional support will augment the benefits of the grant. The Selection Committee recognizes that resources vary by institution, and will take this into account in determining awards.

How should CBL student award recipients be selected?

• Student awards should be made to highly motivated students who have demonstrated significant potential for success in, and have clear promise for, future careers in STEM. Schools may set a GPA minimum but are discouraged from selecting students based solely on GPA. Instead, we encourage schools to select students from a range of backgrounds and prior experiences, including women of color, who possess considerable potential for success in STEM. Institutions receiving grants for student awards will be expected to select recipients based on the criteria detailed in the institution’s proposal.

Applicants must have conducted or plan to conduct research:

• climate surveys;
• sexual harassment surveys;
• diversity studies, or;
• equivalent research efforts

Research must demonstrate a clear understanding of the barriers its particular communities of women encounter. The use of national data alone is not sufficient for demonstrating understanding. CBL funding can be part of the plans to conduct research.

CBL Community STEM Grant:

In addition to this CBL award, the Luce Foundation will offer grantees the opportunity to apply for a second grant, the CBL STEM Community grant.

• CBL STEM Community grants provide up to $300,000 to develop a STEM ecosystem with partner organizations outside CBL universities or colleges that will support STEM outreach and educational efforts and create possible pathways for higher education. 2024 CBL awardees will be eligible for an additional $100,000 planning grant to be used within the first year of the CBL award to develop a fuller proposal for this CBL STEM Community grant.