The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation's mission focuses on supporting original research and broad-based education related to science, technology, and economics. The Foundation aims to improve the quality of life through learning and innovation.
The STEM Higher Education Program prioritizes diversity, equity, and inclusion, guided by the belief that these principles are fundamental to justice and essential for conducting the best science. It acknowledges that while talent is uniformly distributed, opportunities are not, and aims to transform practices, policies, and cultures to provide everyone with the tools and support needed for success. The program’s strategic priorities include widening pathways to STEM graduate education, empowering universities to create inclusive environments, supporting efforts to increase diversity in the STEM professoriate, pursuing systemic change in diversity, equity, and inclusion practices, examining the Foundation's own grantmaking practices, and coordinating with other organizations to foster systemic change in STEM education and fields.