Building upon the transformative work of Sloan University Centers of Exemplary Mentoring (UCEM) institutions, in 2023, the Sloan Foundation made 10 two-year seed grants to launch the Sloan Centers for Systemic Change (SCSC) initiative.

SCSC seed grantees will develop plans and begin implementation of evidence-based policies and practices to improve the recruitment, retention, and graduation of a diverse community of students in physical science and engineering doctoral programs. The goal of this work is the systemic reform of structures that disproportionately burden Black, Indigenous, and Latina/o/e individuals in graduate education, barriers that can affect other students as well. The SCSC seed grants have been designed with specific attention given to relevant legal requirements, as well as in response to an independent assessment of the UCEM program.

In addition to the grant award, Sloan is supporting each institution’s participation in the Equity in Graduate Education Consortium, a networked improvement community that equips participants with research, tools, and change management strategies to achieve systemic change. Successful seed grants will be competitive for implementation grants, which are expected to be made in 2025.