Writing a Compelling NSF Broader Impacts Statement

What NSF Means by Broader Impacts

Every NSF proposal is evaluated on two merit review criteria: Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts. While most investigators feel confident writing about their research, many struggle with the Broader Impacts criterion. Understanding what NSF actually expects is the first step toward writing a compelling statement.

Broader Impacts refers to the potential of the proposed activity to benefit society and contribute to the achievement of specific, desired societal outcomes. NSF identifies several categories, including advancing discovery while promoting teaching and learning, broadening participation of underrepresented groups, enhancing infrastructure for research and education, disseminating results broadly, and developing benefits to society.

Critically, Broader Impacts is not a secondary consideration. NSF review panels evaluate it with equal weight to Intellectual Merit. A proposal with outstanding science but a weak Broader Impacts plan will not be competitive.

Common Misconceptions

It Is Not Just Outreach

Many investigators equate Broader Impacts with outreach activities — visiting a local school or hosting a public lecture. While outreach can be part of a Broader Impacts plan, it is not sufficient on its own, especially if the activities are vague or disconnected from the research.

It Is Not a List of Good Intentions

Stating that your work "will benefit society" or "may lead to new therapies" without explaining how is not a Broader Impacts plan. Reviewers expect specific, actionable plans with clear connections to the proposed research.

It Does Not Have to Be Separate from the Research

Some of the strongest Broader Impacts emerge naturally from the research itself. If your research develops new computational tools, making those tools freely available to the community is a genuine broader impact. If your fieldwork takes place in underserved communities, the partnerships you build and the data you share with those communities count.

Building an Effective Plan

Start with Your Strengths

Consider what you already do well and what resources you have access to. Do you mentor undergraduates from underrepresented groups? Do you have connections to industry partners who could translate your findings into practice? Do you teach a course that could incorporate your research results? Building on existing strengths produces more credible and sustainable plans than inventing something new from scratch.

Be Specific and Measurable

For every activity in your Broader Impacts plan, answer these questions: What exactly will you do? Who will benefit? How many people will be reached? How will you know it worked? Vague promises do not score well. Concrete plans with metrics do.

For example, instead of writing "we will mentor undergraduates," write "we will recruit two undergraduate researchers per year from our institution's McNair Scholars program, provide them with structured research training over two semesters, and support their applications to graduate programs."

Show Institutional Support

If your plan involves partnerships with schools, museums, community organizations, or industry, include letters of collaboration that confirm these partners are committed. Evidence of institutional support — such as matching funds, course releases, or dedicated staff — signals that your plan is feasible and valued.

Plan for Assessment

Describe how you will evaluate the effectiveness of your Broader Impacts activities. This does not require a formal external evaluation for every activity, but you should identify what success looks like and how you will measure it. Pre- and post-surveys, tracking participant outcomes, and collecting feedback are all appropriate methods.

Strategies That Work

Curriculum development. Integrating research findings or methods into courses reaches large numbers of students and has lasting impact. Developing open educational resources extends that reach further.

Broadening participation. Programs that recruit, train, and retain students from underrepresented groups in STEM are highly valued by NSF. Effective programs are structured, sustained, and supported by evidence of what works.

Open data and tools. Making datasets, software, or other research products freely available to the scientific community and the public is a direct, measurable contribution. Describe how you will ensure accessibility and long-term availability.

Community engagement. Partnering with communities affected by your research — whether patients, farmers, urban planners, or tribal nations — produces impacts that are both scientifically valuable and socially meaningful.

Industry and policy connections. If your research has implications for industry practice, public policy, or standards development, describe the specific mechanisms through which those connections will be made.

What Reviewers Look For

Reviewers assess Broader Impacts on the same basis as Intellectual Merit: is the plan well-conceived, well-organized, and likely to succeed? They want to see activities that are integrated with the research rather than bolted on, a clear rationale for why these particular activities will produce meaningful impact, evidence that you have the capacity and institutional support to execute the plan, and metrics for evaluating success.

A perfunctory Broader Impacts statement signals to reviewers that you do not take this criterion seriously — and they will evaluate your proposal accordingly.

Next Steps

Before writing your Broader Impacts statement, review successful proposals in your directorate to see what kinds of activities resonate with reviewers in your field. Talk to your institution's broader impacts office if one exists. Many universities now have dedicated staff who can help faculty design and assess Broader Impacts activities. Their expertise can elevate a good plan into an excellent one.