CyberCorps Scholarship for Service (SFS)
Quick Facts
- Agency
- National Science Foundation
- Funding
- Up to $6,108,000 per institution
- Deadline
- Rolling (Rolling / Open)
- Status
- Active
- Eligibility
- Institutions of higher education
About This Grant
CyberCorps Scholarship for Service (SFS) is sponsored by National Science Foundation. Supports cybersecurity and AI-related STEM education with scholarships and curriculum for AI-native projects addressing national security needs. This program should be reviewed carefully against your organization's mission, staffing capacity, timeline, and compliance readiness before you commit resources to a full application. Strong submissions usually translate sponsor priorities into concrete objectives, clear implementation milestones, and measurable public benefit.
For planning purposes, treat rolling deadlines or periodic funding windows as your working submission target unless the sponsor publishes an updated notice. A competitive project plan should include a documented need statement, implementation approach, evaluation framework, risk controls, and a realistic budget narrative. Even when a grant allows broad program design, reviewers still expect credible evidence that the proposed work can be executed within the grant period and with appropriate accountability.
Current published award information indicates Up to $6,108,000 per institution Organizations should verify the final funding range, matching requirements, and allowability rules directly in the official opportunity materials before preparing a budget. Finance and program teams should align early so direct costs, indirect costs, staffing assumptions, procurement timelines, and reporting obligations all remain consistent throughout drafting and post-award administration.
Eligibility guidance for this opportunity is: Institutions of higher education If your organization has partnerships, subrecipients, or collaborators, define responsibilities and compliance ownership before submission. Reviewers often look for implementation credibility, so letters of commitment, prior performance evidence, and a clear governance model can materially strengthen the application narrative and reduce concerns about delivery risk.
A practical approach is to begin with a focused readiness review, then build a workback schedule from the sponsor deadline. Confirm required attachments, registration dependencies, and internal approval checkpoints early. This reduces last-minute issues and improves submission quality. For the most accurate requirements, always rely on the official notice and primary source links associated with CyberCorps Scholarship for Service (SFS).
Official Opportunity Details
Extracted from the official opportunity page/RFP to help you evaluate fit faster.
CyberAICorps Scholarship for Service (CyberAI SFS) | NSF - U. S. National Science Foundation An official website of the United States government Official websites use .
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These terms and conditions are consistent with the revised guidance specified in the OMB Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance published in the Federal Register on April 22, 2024.
Important information for proposers All proposals must be submitted in accordance with the requirements specified in this funding opportunity and in the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) that is in effect for the relevant due date to which the proposal is being submitted. It is the responsibility of the proposer to ensure that the proposal meets these requirements.
Submitting a proposal prior to a specified deadline does not negate this requirement.
Updates to NSF Research Security Policies On July 10, 2025, NSF issued an Important Notice providing updates to the agency's research security policies, including a research security training requirement, Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Program annual certification requirement, prohibition on Confucius institutes and an updated FFDR reporting and submission timeline.
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 Track supports 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 statutes authorize 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).
Awards made through this program Browse projects funded by this program Map of recent awards made through this program Directorate for STEM Education (EDU) April 3, Annually Thereafter Third Tuesday in July, Annually Thereafter Due by 5pm submitting organization's local time Note: In 2026, there are two Scholarship Track competitions : Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 competition with a target date of April 3, 2026; and FY 2027 competition with a deadline date of July 21, 2026.
Proposals submitted after the target date will still be accepted, although if they miss FY 2026 panel dates, they will be considered for FY 2027 funding. Proposals submitted after July 21 will not be accepted. Range shown is per award pending availability of funds.
Award sizes are subject to the availability of funds and quality of proposals submitted. The maximum award amount is $500,000 for the Innovation Track and $2,500,000 for the Scholarship Track. Estimated number of awards Estimated number of awards description CyberAI SFS will support up to 25 projects per fiscal year under this program solicitation, pending availability of funds.
Number of awards is subject to the availability of funds and quality of proposals submitted. Proposals may only be submitted by certain types of organizations. Please see solicitation for details.
Limit on number of proposals per organization Limit on number of proposals per organization description There is no restriction for the Innovation Track. For the Scholarship Track, each performing organization is limited to one (1) proposal submitted for the same competition date.
Institutions with an active CyberAI SFS scholarship project must wait until they are within 14 months of the current award’s expected end date before submitting a new proposal. Each institutional office of research may have internal processes used to select proposals for submission to the Scholarship Track Proposals may only be submitted by certain types of PIs. Please see solicitation for details.
Limit on number of proposals per PI or Co-PI Limit on number of proposals per PI or co-PI description For the Scholarship Track, an individual must not participate as PI, Co-PI, or Senior Personnel on more than one (1) proposal submitted for the same competition date. For the Innovation Track, an individual must not participate as PI, Co-PI, or Senior Personnel on more than two (2) proposals submitted within any 12-month period.
There is additional eligibility information. Please see solicitation for details. Review full program guidelines and learn how to submit a proposal in the latest solicitation.
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Eligibility Requirements
- Institutions of higher education
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can apply for CyberCorps Scholarship for Service (SFS)?
Based on current listing details, eligibility includes: Institutions of higher education Applicants should confirm final requirements in the official notice before submission.
What is the typical funding level for CyberCorps Scholarship for Service (SFS)?
Current published award information indicates Up to $6,108,000 per institution Always verify allowable costs, matching requirements, and funding caps directly in the sponsor documentation.
When is the deadline for CyberCorps Scholarship for Service (SFS)?
The current target date is rolling deadlines or periodic funding windows. Build your timeline backwards from this date to cover registrations, approvals, attachments, and final submission checks.
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