The NCWIT Academic Alliance Seed Fund awards members of NCWIT's Academic Alliance with start-up funds (up to $10,000 per project) to develop and implement initiatives for recruiting or retaining women in computing and IT. To-date, 29 member organizations have received a total of $365,450 over the first eight rounds. We thank Microsoft Research for their support of the Seed Fund.

Round 9 of the NCWIT Academic Alliance Seed Fund, funded by Microsoft Research, is now open! View the Round 9 Call for Proposals here (this will open in a separate browser). 

Please submit applications via e-mail to the Academic Alliance Program Manager (kimberly.kalahar@colorado.edu). Applications should be one PDF file and contain both a three-page proposal and a signed letter of support from the dean or department chair. Both the application and the letter of support are due by midnight MST on November 25, 2012.

For more information about the NCWIT Academic Alliance and the Seed Fund Award program, contact the Academic Alliance Program Manager, Kim Kalahar. You can also download a copy of our Frequently Asked Questions.

Round 8 Winners: January 10, 2012:

• Claremont Graduate University will team with Scripps College Academy to provide workshops that provide high school, undergraduate and graduate students with mentoring and support to pursue careers in technology and computing. Project Principal Investigator: Gondy Leroy.
• Fisk University will use its award to integrate software engineering into its GUSTO (Girls Using Scientific Tools for Opportunities) project, which introduces, encourages, and prepares low-income and minority girls for STEM careers. Project Principal Investigator: Ray Bullock.
• Union College will pilot a successful Seed Fund project from another institution: a social robotics outreach workshop in which female computing undergraduates serve as mentors and educators for middle and high school girls. Project Principal Investigator: Nick Webb.
• The University of Central Arkansas will build a female-friendly environment for computing majors by recruiting a first-year cohort of women and retaining them with opportunities for learning, research, service, and leadership. Project Principal Investigators: Chenyi Hu, Yu Sun, and Karen Thessing.
• The University of Virginia program will focus on actively recruiting computing graduate students from traditionally underrepresented groups by providing enhanced exposure to graduate programs, facilities, faculty, and graduate student life. Project Principal Investigator: Carolyn Vallas.

For complete program results and status of past Seed Fund rounds, download our Seed Fund Executive Report. See previous winners here.

Learn more about NCWIT promising practices and other resources.