EPSCoR/IDeA Foundation (EIF)

What EPSCoR/IDeA Foundation (EIF) does

The EPSCoR/IDeA Foundation (EIF) is a 501(c)(3) non-lobbying non-profit organization founded in 1988 and headquartered at 800 Maine Ave SW, Suite 800, Washington, D.C. EIF operates as the communications, advocacy, and coordination arm supporting the EPSCoR/IDeA Coalition, a separate 501(c)(4) organization. Its mission is to address geographic imbalance in federal research awards by strengthening the visibility, coordination, and effectiveness of EPSCoR (Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) and IDeA (Institutional Development Award) programs administered by NSF, NIH, NASA, DOE, USDA, and DoD.

EIF does not offer a software or technology product. Its core deliverables are informational and programmatic resources: a recurring EIF Newsletter covering funding opportunities, agency updates, and jurisdiction news; the Science Works Here outreach campaign showcasing researchers and STEM careers in EPSCoR/IDeA states; Success Stories and Research Highlights content; a Student Spotlight series; and recurring convening events including an annual Coalition and Foundation meeting in Washington, D.C. and the 'Take Your IDeA Science to Capitol Hill' advocacy event.

The foundation's business model is non-commercial. EIF provides all services free of charge to eligible jurisdictions, universities, and researchers. Its financial inflows (grants, donations, or in-kind support) are not publicly disclosed. The organization maintains formal partnerships with the Council of NSF EPSCoR Project Directors, NAIPI, ERVA, and multiple federal agencies, and serves three primary constituencies: EPSCoR/IDeA state research institutions, principal investigators and researchers in eligible jurisdictions, and state EPSCoR/IDeA program directors.

Name

EPSCoR/IDeA Foundation (EIF)

Legal name

EPSCoR/IDeA Foundation

Website

https://epscorideafoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The EPSCoR/IDeA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that coordinates communications and advocacy for federal EPSCoR/IDeA research programs, serving universities, researchers, and program directors across eligible U.S. states and territories free of charge.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington, D.C.

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

EIF is a 501(c)(3) non-lobbying foundation that serves as a centralized coordination and communications hub for the EPSCoR and IDeA federal research programs. It disseminates information through its EIF Newsletter, Science Works Here outreach campaign, Success Stories, Research Highlights, and Student Spotlight content, while facilitating coordination among federal agencies (NSF, NIH, DOE, NASA, USDA, DoD) and state-level EPSCoR/IDeA programs in eligible jurisdictions.

Product overview

The EPSCoR/IDeA Foundation (EIF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that serves as a coordination and communication hub for the EPSCoR (Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) and IDeA (Institutional Development Award) federal research programs. EIF does not offer a software product or technology platform. Instead, it provides informational resources including the EIF Newsletter, Science Works Here outreach program, Success Stories, Research Highlights, and Student Spotlight content. These resources support researchers in EPSCoR/IDeA-eligible jurisdictions (states and territories with historically lower levels of federal research funding) by disseminating information about funding opportunities, program updates, and achievements across participating federal agencies including NSF, NIH, DOE, NASA, USDA, and DoD.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EIF Newsletter
• Science Works Here
• Success Stories
• Research Highlights
• Student Spotlight

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Council of NSF EPSCoR Project DirectorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial partner organization representing NSF EPSCoR project directors from all eligible jurisdictions. Works with EIF on advocacy and communications coordination.
• ERVA (Engineering Research Visioning Alliance)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNSF-funded initiative for which EIF serves as a Core Partner. ERVA conducts visioning events to identify engineering research opportunity spaces. EIF helps facilitate nominations and participation from EPSCoR jurisdictions.
• NAIPI (National Association of IDeA Principal Investigators)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization representing IDeA principal investigators. Co-sponsors events such as 'Take Your IDeA Science to Capitol Hill' with EIF.
• National Science Foundation (NSF)coreOthersPrimary federal agency partner overseeing NSF EPSCoR program. NSF provides the core legislative mandate for EPSCoR to promote scientific progress nationwide.
• National Institutes of Health (NIH)coreOthersFederal agency partner overseeing NIH IDeA program, the largest of the EPSCoR-like programs. IDeA is designed to broaden the geographic distribution of NIH funding for biomedical research.
• National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA)coreOthersFederal agency partner overseeing NASA EPSCoR program. NASA's capacity building programs aim to develop research enterprise in EPSCoR states directed toward aerospace technologies.
• Department of Energy (DOE)coreOthersFederal agency partner overseeing DOE EPSCoR program. DOE EPSCoR supports fundamental energy research collaborations with DOE national laboratories.
• Department of Defense (DoD)coreOthersFederal agency partner overseeing DEPSCoR program. Re-established in 2019 to strengthen research infrastructure at institutions of higher education in underutilized states/territories.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF): An alliance of organizations that advocate for the National Science Foundation. Comparable to EIF in that both convene stakeholders to advocate for federal research funding and run coordinated communications and Hill engagement activities.
• National Humanities Alliance (NHA): Advocacy and convening organization for the humanities, with parallel structure (501(c)(3) plus advocacy arm), congressional engagement programming, and coalition-building across institutions. Highly analogous operating model to EIF in a different federal domain.
• Council of NSF EPSCoR Project Directors: Core partner organization of EIF representing NSF EPSCoR project directors across all eligible jurisdictions. Works with EIF on advocacy and communications coordination and serves the same state-level EPSCoR community.
• EPSCoR/IDeA Coalition: The affiliated 501(c)(4) advocacy organization created in 1988 alongside EIF. Operates the lobbying function while EIF handles non-lobbying support; together they form a paired structure with the most direct mission alignment to EIF.
• NAIPI (National Association of IDeA Principal Investigators): Core partner organization of EIF representing IDeA principal investigators. Co-sponsors advocacy events including 'Take Your IDeA Science to Capitol Hill' and serves the same IDeA constituency EIF supports.
• Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR): Membership organization supporting undergraduate research across institution types including underserved regions. Comparable to EIF in its mission to broaden research participation and its communications, programming, and advocacy role for the research community.

Broad incumbents

• American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS): Large, established scientific advocacy organization with federal funding advocacy, science policy work, and broad communications programming. Much broader in scope than EIF but operates in the same science-policy advocacy space.
• Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU): Major research and advocacy organization for public universities, including many EPSCoR/IDeA institutions. Engages on federal research policy, congressional appropriations, and research capacity — overlapping with EIF's federal advocacy role.
• American Council on Education (ACE): Umbrella higher education advocacy association coordinating federal policy engagement for member institutions, including research-funding issues. Comparable to EIF as a higher-ed policy convener but with substantially broader scope.

Emerging players

• National Postdoctoral Association (NPA): Advocacy and professional development organization for postdoctoral scholars, including those at EPSCoR/IDeA institutions. Comparable as a stakeholder-voice organization within the federal research ecosystem but focused on a specific career stage rather than a geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/epscoridea
• Facebookfacebook.com/epscoridea
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/epscorideafoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/epscoridea

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about EPSCoR/IDeA Foundation (EIF)