Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP)

The RFP, all documents and any updates will be posted to NYSED's CSTEP website.

Legislative Authority: In 1986, the New York State Legislature passed an amendment to Education Law Chapter 31, Article 130, § 6455, to authorize the use of funds under the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP).

Purpose/Goal: According to § 6455 of the Education Law, CSTEP is “for the purpose of increasing access by minority or disadvantaged students to academic programs that have been registered by the commissioner and that prepare students either for licensure in the professions or for employment in scientific and technical fields.”

Eligible Applicants: According to § 145-6.6(b) of the Commissioner’s Regulations, eligible applicant means “a degree-granting postsecondary institution, or a consortium of such institutions, which offers an approved undergraduate program of study and/or an approved graduate level program of study.”

Funding: During the 2023-2024 program year, $16,108,390 was awarded to 63 projects. Future awards depend on annual legislative appropriation, but it is anticipated that funding will continue at the same approximate levels. This RFP covers a five-year funding cycle from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2030. There is a 25% match required for each year of funding from a combination of institutional and/or other non-NY state funds. The maximum award for an individual CSTEP project funded during the 2025-2030 cycle will be $600,500 per year. The maximum award for any newly funded individual CSTEP project will be $299,500 per year. The maximum award for a consortium CSTEP project will be $999,500 per year.

Application Process and Due Date: New applicants for the CSTEP grant and current grantees must create and test or only test their GoAnywhere accounts respectively by November 27, 2024, in order to be able to submit the grant application. Applicants without access to GoAnywhere should send an email to csteprfp@nysed.gov to request access. Please submit the complete application on GoAnywhere at GoAnywhere Website Login by December 10, 2024.

Prequalification Requirement: Proposals received from nonprofit applicants that are not Prequalified in the Statewide Financial System (SFS) by 5:00 PM on the proposal due date of December 10, 2024, cannot be evaluated. Such proposals will be disqualified from further consideration. This includes all currently funded nonprofit institutions that may have previously received an award and are in the middle of the program cycle. Please see the “Prequalification for Individual Applications” section for additional information.

Non-Mandatory Notice of Intent (NOI): The Notice of Intent is not a requirement for submitting a complete application by the application date; however, NYSED strongly encourages all prospective applicants to submit an NOI to ensure a timely and thorough review and rating process, and to allow for the creation and testing of GoAnywhere accounts for new applicants for the CSTEP grant. GoAnywhere instructions can be found on the CSTEP website. A non-profit applicant’s NOI will also help to facilitate timely review of their prequalification materials. The notice of intent is a simple email notice stating your organization’s intent to submit an application for this grant. Please use the legal name as listed in NYSED’s database of accredited IHEs and include your organization’s NYS Vendor ID. Please send the NOI to csteprfp@nysed.gov with the words RFP GC#25-002 in the subject line. The due date is November 27, 2024.