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Limited Opportunity Seed Grant

NASA SCoPE invites early career scientists and career NASA scientists/engineers to apply for a seed grant and support your collaboration with a NASA Science Activation Team. Bring your outreach ideas to life!

Grant Proposal Preparation 101 with NASA SCoPE

Two grants, each up to $95,000, will be available for early career (i.e., within 10 years of PhD) and career scientists in the NASA SCoPE community. Individuals from historically marginalized communities are especially encouraged to apply. If you are not already familiar with the NASA SciAct program and the SCoPE project, we strongly encourage you to start by watching the webinar linked below.

Grant Proposal Preparation 101 with NASA SCoPE

Watch this webinar designed to help you craft a high-quality proposal for the NASA SCoPE Seed Grant program.

NASA SCoPE Seed Grant Resources

Visit this Google Drive to access the Seed Grant template and other helpful files.

Grant description

The NASA SCoPE Project at Arizona State University

Part of NASA’s Science Activation 2.0 Education and Community Outreach Program (SciAct), NASA SCoPE offers seed grants to:

  • Scientists and engineers using or capturing NASA data, and
  • Early career scientists (i.e., Subject Matter Experts, or SMEs)

that collaborate with a SciAct Team to develop or participate in NASA science communication activities.

This grant opportunity is open to SMEs at all career levels and demographics, but early career SMEs (i.e., within 10 years of PhD) and those from historically marginalized communities are especially encouraged to apply.

Grant Goals

  • Bring together scientists, engineers and SciAct teams to work collaboratively in support of the SciAct teams goals using the SME's expertise in NASA data, science, and missions to bring results of NASA-funded research to the public.
  • Provide a conduit for those scientists and engineers to communicate the results of their research and missions to the world.

Funding from these Seed Grants can be used for salary support, production of educational materials, travel to SciAct team meetings for collaboration, and/or travel to present results and/or participate in workshops for future collaborations. Of particular need are proposals whose work can address diverse communities.


Grant details

Eligibility Requirements

  • U.S. citizens or individuals with the lawful status of "permanent resident" are eligible.
  • Applicants that identify as a scientist, engineer, or emerging* subject matter expert in the NASA SCoPE community and engaging with or publishing (last 5 years) in the fields of Heliophysics, Earth Science, Planetary Science, Astrophysics, or Biological and Physical Sciences are eligible.
  • Civil servants are ineligible.
  • Individuals receiving funding from an existing NASA SciAct team in 2025 are ineligible.

    * Emerging subject matter experts are defined as PhD candidates and post-doctoral scholars working with NASA published advisors, NASA data or NASA missions.

How the grant works

  • Collaboration with a SciAct team is required.
  • Grant size is limited to a maximum of $95,000.
  • A maximum of 4 individuals** will be awarded for an individual project.
  • Award will go directly to the proposing applicants.
  • Proposed work must be completed by November 30th, 2025.
  • All awardees will provide monthly status updates and coordinate with NASA SCoPE project manager to organize work.
  • A final report will be due to the NASA SCoPE Team upon completion of your project. Awardees will also be expected to complete a short evaluation survey.

    **All awarded individuals must meet the eligibility requirements

When to apply

Application Due

17 days 03 hours 56 minutes 36 seconds

Application cycle closes January 31, 2025.


How to apply

It is required that applicants develop their project ideas in close collaboration with a NASA SciAct team and the project aligns with their explicit needs. You may include a member of the SciAct team as an unfunded Co-I, and all applications must include a Letter of Support from the SciAct team PI. Applicants must prepare a three-page proposal in PDF format with the following content.
Contact information, Budget & Justification, Letters of Support, Biographical Sketch, and C&P are outside the three-page limit

Personal information

Your name, mailing address, email address, institution, position, and career stage

SciAct collaborators

Name and contact information of collaborator from SciAct team

Collaborators

Names, mailing address, email address, institution, position, career stage, role, and purpose of their involvement

Title & Technical description of project (not to exceed 3 pages)

For example: The applicant will work with the SciAct group to develop new educational materials, or conduct a series of talks for public groups, or provide technical consultation to the SciAct group to do X, etc. Include a timeline for completion of the project.

Budget & budget justification

How will grant money up to $95K be used? Line item amounts for work time (FTE), operational expenses and materials, and any travel. Each applicant (up to 4 per proposal) will complete an individual budget & budget justification.

Letters of support

Submit a letter of support from the SciAct team PI; a letter from supervisor/employer (PhD candidates only); and a letter of support for each unpaid Co-I listed in your proposal

Biographical sketch

Submit one for each applicant (up to 4) receiving funding from the proposal.

Current & pending

Submit one report for each applicant receiving funding from the proposal.