Diversity & Inclusion Project & Program Proposals

IEEE Computer Society celebrated it’s 75th anniversary in 2021. One of the many wonderful actions that came from it was the creation of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee, and it’s establishing of the Diversity & Inclusion Fund to empower our community to increase inclusivity throughout computing.

For any additional questions, please email inclusion@computer.org

DONATE TO THE FUND

Want to impact diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout the computing community? Consider submitting a proposal for projects, programs, and events to further this mission. Last year, we funded five proposals that brought together BIPOC high-school students, taught computer literacy in rural communities, created mentoring circles and inclusive teaching spaces, and enabled workshops/courses for underrepresented communities in four countries around the world.

We are looking for new types of projects/activities/events not already covered by Computer Society units, such as:

• Hackathons, student competitions, mentoring circles, maker events, outreach projects and other hands-on activities that broaden the reach of computing (such as events engaging broader demographics)
• Panel discussions or workshops that bring together diverse perspectives, advancing D&I education (such as bias mitigation, computing to advance social justice and equity).
• Reports, courses, briefings, training and other communications that summarize results and help to increase awareness for diversity and inclusion in computing

Proposals are accepted on a rolling basis as funding becomes available. Please submit your proposal by 19 November 2022.

SUBMIT A PROPOSAL

Back to Top

2021 was the first year in which we launched the D&I call for proposals. Proposals accepted in 2021 include:

• A Summer High School Internship for BIPOC Students
• Computer Literacy, Empowerment and Education Programs for Inclusion and Diversity
• The Atomic Habits for Inclusive Teaching Mentoring Circle
• You Belong in CS (UBCS)
• TinyML Outreach Workshop with the Navajo Nation

Back to Top

No. Mechanisms already exist within the Computer Society to propose new conferences and publications.

For proposing new conferences, review the list of Computer Society Technical Communities (TCs), look for the one with closest affinity to the proposal, and contact the TC Chair directly. They will walk you through the application process for new conferences.

For proposing new publications, contact the Computer Society Publications department at periodicals@computer.org.

Back to Top

Decisions will be communicated in early December via email to the proposal submitter.

Back to Top

Proposals will be evaluated for innovation/creativity, impact on target audience, impact to the future, relevance to computing and alignment with D&I goals.

Back to Top

Do you anticipate longer-term impact & do you see any potential follow-on? If you anticipate follow-on, what do you anticipate for support?

Back to Top

We expect most proposals to be no less than US $5,000, up to a maximum of US $15,000. Larger proposals will be considered, but only one or two of these may be awarded.

Back to Top

All awarded funds must be used in the year awarded. Any unused funds will not be carried over to the next year.

All grant agreement information and materials must be submitted by the awardee within 30 days of receipt for the funding to be disbursed. Late materials or unresponsiveness may result in a retraction of the grant approval.

Back to Top

A final impact report and video is expected from all funded projects and activities. More details about the deliverables will be communicated to selected proposals.

Back to Top

Proposals will be executed as Computer Society activities; therefore, any surplus will be part of the overall Computer Society budget.

Back to Top

Yes. Activities in which non-Computer Society members can participate may be good visibility for the Society and serve the larger community.

Back to Top

One member of the proposal team must be an IEEE member. We encourage team members listed in the proposal to be Computer Society members.

Back to Top

Applications are welcomed from all countries where funds can be legally sent from the United States of America.

Back to Top

The call for proposals is issued once a year. Out-of-cycle requests will be evaluated by the IEEE Computer Society Diversity & Inclusion Committee quarterly.

Back to Top

Please direct any questions to inclusion@computer.org.

Back to Top