This bill authorizes the National Science Foundation to award competitive grants to organizations that work to increase participation of women, underrepresented minorities, and people with disabilities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. The grants can fund mentoring programs, internships, online workshops, K-12 outreach activities, and faculty recruitment and retention initiatives. The bill is motivated by data showing significant underrepresentation across multiple groups—for example, women earn only 24 percent of engineering bachelor's degrees, and women leave STEM careers at much higher rates than men, with particularly low retention among women of color. The legislation authorizes $15 million annually for five fiscal years (2026-2030) to support these efforts.
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