NSF 26-508 TechAccess solicitation (web)

Citation

U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships, with the Directorates for STEM Education and for Computer and Information Science and Engineering; USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture; Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration; U.S. Small Business Administration. “NSF 26-508: TechAccess: AI-Ready America. A national program to coordinate readiness and accelerate deployment.” Program solicitation, posted March 25, 2026. https://www.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/techaccess-ai-ready-america/nsf26-508/solicitation. Copy: raw/web/2026-10-14 NSF 26-508 TechAccess AI-Ready America solicitation.md (original: .html beside it), fetched 2026-10-14 by the agent. Read 2026-10-15.

Bottom line

• Round 2 letters of intent are due Dec. 15, 2026, and full proposals Jan. 15, 2027.
• A hub must keep a public inventory of state AI resources, “including training programs, physical infrastructure, and support services”.
• This is a different program from NSF 26-513, the State and Regional AI Infrastructure Hubs bid due Nov. 4, 2026. Both put a single award in each state, so the two efforts in California should know about each other.

Background

TechAccess: AI-Ready America has three parts: State/Territory Coordination Hubs, a National Coordination Lead and AI-Ready Catalyst Award Competitions. This solicitation funds only the hubs. NSF runs it with three other federal agencies. (Synopsis; Section I)

Key claims

• Up to 56 awards, “one for every state, the District of Columbia, or territory”. Ten in round 1, twenty in round 2, the rest in round 3. “$1M/year for three years”, with a possible fourth year. Total $168,000,000 to $224,000,000. (Award Information; Section III)
• Deadlines: letters of intent June 16, 2026 (round 1), Dec. 15, 2026 (round 2), June 1, 2027 (round 3). Full proposals July 16, 2026, Jan. 15, 2027 and July 1, 2027. NSF requires a letter of intent. (Due Dates)
• “Coordination Hubs are limited to one proposal per institution.” (Section IV)
• “Inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited.” (Budgetary Information)
• A hub has five responsibilities (Section II):
  • AI Learning and Resource Navigator
  • State/Territory AI Readiness Strategic Plan
  • AI Deployment Support
  • AI Readiness Training and Capacity Building
  • Coordination Within Priority Sectors
• The Navigator is a “publicly accessible and user-friendly inventory of state and territory AI-related resources, including training programs, physical infrastructure, and support services.” (Section II)
• “Successful implementation will require a lead organization with statewide convening power and operational capacity, supported by a strong team of partners.” (Section II)
• Training should draw on “DOL’s AI Literacy Framework” and align with the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and Perkins V. (Section II)
• The 15-page Project Description must use five set section headers. If it does not, NSF returns it without review. Section 3 is “Current State of AI Planning and Coordination”. Section 5 is “Resource Mobilization and Leveraging Additional Support”. (Section V.A)
• “NSF encourages the use of at least one Advisory Board.” NSF requires letters of collaboration from all partners and does not allow letters of support. (Section V.A)
• Required metrics include “Number of individuals trained (by category: educators, workforce, small business owners)” and “Number of small businesses and government entities assisted”. (Section V.A, Section 4)
• Hubs must “actively collaborate with the National Coordination Lead” as a condition of award. (Section VII.B)

Evidence and method

A federal funding solicitation. It cites an NSF workshop report on AI readiness, which is not in raw/.

Limits

• The page does not list round 1 awards.
• The National Lead terms come in a separate Other Transaction call that is not yet linked.
• The program depends on “the availability of funds”. (Section III)