Project BPC Plans

All Medium and Large CISE Core Programs, Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace (SaTC), and Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) project proposals require a Project BPC Plan. The BPC requirements for each of these proposals may differ; please review your solicitation carefully. 

For specific information about the BPC requirements for Expeditions in Computing (Expeditions) project proposals, refer to that solicitation here.

Page sections:

• Creating your Project BPC Plan
• Common Mistakes in Project BPC Plans
• NSF Reporting Requirements
• BPC Supplemental Funding

Creating your Project BPC Plan

Project BPC Plans are submitted to the NSF and must follow the NSF’s current guidelines on formatting in the Proposal & Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG). 

In a Project BPC Plan, each PI must select and describe a BPC activity they are participating in. These can be described either in a Connected Project BPC Plan or a Standalone Project BPC Plan. 

• A Connected Project BPC Plan may be used when each PI will engage in an activity listed in a Verified Departmental BPC Plan from their institution and allowed by the NSF solicitation. The document organization is described in the Checklist for a Meaningful Connected Project BPC Plan.
• A Standalone Project BPC Plan does not include Departmental BPC Plans; instead, the BPC activities of all PIs are listed in a single 3-page document for the whole project, as outlined in the Checklist for a Meaningful Standalone Project BPC Plan.

Common Mistakes

The following list of pitfalls below may help you better address the solicitation.

Deciding what to include in your BPC Plan:

• Don’t attempt to create a novel or creative program without knowledge of existing programs.
  • Instead, use or adapt existing programs or develop partnerships for your local context. 
• Don’t over-promise or describe a scope that you don’t have the resources to carry out.
  • Instead, describe a scope of activities consistent with your team’s expertise, capacity, institutional resources, and partnerships.
• Don’t assume that all K-12 outreach will broaden participation in computing. 
  • Instead, provide the demographics of the students you will reach and the inclusive curriculum and pedagogy you will use. 
• Don’t create a new K-12 curriculum or workshop if you don’t have relevant experience or support. 
  • Instead, seek out partners, coaching, or resources for inclusive pedagogy and appropriate content that matches students’ grade level and prior knowledge. 

Writing your BPC Plan:

• Don’t conflate your Broader Impacts with Broadening Participation of populations that are underrepresented in computing. 
  • Instead, make sure your plan addresses the underrepresentation of women, African Americans, Hispanics, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, Native Pacific Islanders, and persons with disabilities in computing.
• Don’t list the names and demographics of specific students you have advised.  
  • Instead, describe your past recruiting or mentoring strategies and provide the demographics of your students overall. 
• Don’t describe that students from populations that are underrepresented in computing are lacking ability or other individual characteristics that would require you to lower your standards. 
  • Instead, identify gaps in opportunity that your plan addresses. 
• Don’t provide an incomplete timeline.
  • Instead clearly outline your implementation and, if space allows, describe your timeline for data collection and meetings that will keep your project on track. 

Implementing your BPC Plan:

• Don’t forget to measure the impact of your BPC activities.
  • Instead, include data collection as part of your activities from the start.
• Don’t leave your plan on the shelf.
  • Instead, schedule regular meetings with the team to revisit your Project BPC Plan and measure your progress. Revise as needed.

NSF Reporting Requirements

Always refer to the solicitation you are responding to in order to find out about BPC Plan reporting requirements. Currently, CISE Core and SATC Medium awards are required to report about the results of the implementation of their BPC Plan in the Special Reporting Requirements sections of their NSF Annual Report.

According to the program solicitations NSF 23-561 (CISE Core)  and NSF 24-504 (SATC) Section VII. Award Administration Information Subsection C. Reporting Requirements, the Special Reporting Requirements section of the annual report should include:

• A summary of what each PI and co-PI did, including any changes to the plan;
• Numbers of events, participants, and participant demographics (if there are barriers to collecting this data, describe those limitations and provide the best estimates possible); and
• A reflection (supported by data if available) on progress, any unexpected challenges or results, and anything planned.

BPC Supplemental Funding

If you already have an NSF approved BPC Plan as part of an award from the relevant CISE programs, you are eligible to request supplemental funding to cover the cost of your BPC activities through BPC Supplements. Click here to learn more about BPC supplemental funding.