The Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program invests in the Nation’s colleges and universities to aid student success to create a new generation of STEM discoverers for the national STEM enterprise. The program takes a comprehensive approach to the STEM Learning Ecosystem to impact STEM student development and retention.

The Iowa Illinois Nebraska STEM Partnership for Innovation in Research and Education (IINSPIRE) is an NSF LSAMP alliance among sixteen two-year and four-year colleges and universities working together to diversify the nation’s science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce by increasing the number of STEM baccalaureate and graduate degrees awarded to persons from LSAMP
populations. LSAMP populations are defined as persons from groups underrepresented in the STEM enterprise: Blacks and African-Americans, Hispanic and Latino Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. The LSAMP program provides funding to alliances that implement comprehensive, evidence-based, innovative, and sustained strategies that ultimately result in the graduation of well-prepared, highly competitive students from LSAMP populations who pursue graduate studies or careers in STEM, while also supporting knowledge generation, knowledge utilization, assessment of program impacts, dissemination activities, and dissemination of scholarly research into the field.

IINSPIRE-LSAMP reaches out to and works with a number of collaborators. Collaborators commit to broadening participation in STEM and meeting state and national STEM workforce needs. They offer various types of opportunities and support to the program, including interfacing with state-level policies and activities, supporting K- 12 outreach, and providing internships and other financial support.