Collaborative Programs – Request for Proposals
Deadline: February 28, 2020
The NASA Iowa Space Grant Consortium (ISGC), https://www.iaspacegrant.org/ will provide funds through the ISGC Collaborations Program to implement innovative approaches to improve Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) learning and instruction. The intent is to create cooperative efforts that will target one or more of these three focus areas: precollege, informal education, or higher education. The ISGC encourages proposals involving females, members of underrepresented minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities.
Projects should provide experiences that will equip the future STEM workforce for careers relevant to the NASA mission. The collaborative project must include at least one Core Institution as a partner (or as the proposer): Drake, Iowa, Iowa State, and Northern Iowa and include one or more additional affiliates from our list available at: (https://www.iaspacegrant.org/about/).
Possible examples:
- Core institution develops a public outreach effort and partners with an outreach affiliate or academic affiliate to share the activity across the affiliates.
- Core institution and/or academic affiliate has a course exclusive to their institution to be shared with the other academic affiliates to allow more student benefit.
- An affiliate develops an outreach program and shares it across all ISGC affiliates allowing more people to experience the STEM program. This can include courses that reach beyond a typical university class experience such as camps, museum exhibits, etc.
- Core institution and/or academic affiliate develops a preservice/in-service professional development program that builds STEM learning opportunities for teachers to share the activity across the affiliates, based on the NASA mission.
- New: Research project collaborations across the consortium and/or with NASA researchers.
Eligibility, Amount of Award, and Duration: Prospective applicants will discuss their ideas with Associate Director, Jay Staker (jstaker@iastate.edu), to see if their ideas fall within the scope of this opportunity. The proposer may then be invited to submit a full proposal. Funding is available for projects with a maximum award of $25,000. The number of projects will be based on the amount of awards. Submissions should include a full proposal and budget for a project based on the content and the six evaluation criteria, shown below. Projects must include at least one core institution.
Proposal Content
- Project description (three-page maximum, 12-point font, one inch margins) to include
- background
- goals and objectives of the project
- implementation strategy or scientific method, evaluation plan, dissemination plan, sustainability plan, management plan, and timetable
- long-term benefits
- key personnel
- Budget and budget justification, using the ISGC budget template available at: https://www.iaspacegrant.org/funding/faculty/
- Matching fund commitment letter from authorized institutional representative (typically an office of sponsored programs or grants office)
- Course approval from head/chair of the department or dean of the college
- Resumes of faculty or staff (one-page maximum per person)
Budget: Funds may be used to purchase supplies, support faculty or staff release time, support graduate and undergraduate students, or domestic travel related to the project. The proposal budget justification should describe how requested funds support the project goals. Proposing institutions are required to provide 125% match (1:1.25) using non-federal funds. Budget and justification should explain, in itemized detail, the ISGC amount requested and matching dollars using the ISGC budget template (available online): https://www.iaspacegrant.org/funding/faculty/.
Unallowable expenses include:
- Indirect charges (waived indirect costs may be counted towards match)
- Equipment (defined as >$5,000 per item)
- Foreign travel
- Facility renovations
- Promotional materials (i.e. branded t-shirts, coffee mugs, pens, etc.)
- Non-U.S. citizen reimbursements (i.e.travel, salary, wages)
- Non-U. S. citizens may participate, but cannot receive direct support.
Evaluation Criteria for All Programs: For simple programs, the ISGC leadership will evaluate the proposal. Proposals greater than $2,000 will be reviewed by a qualified panel and the ISGC Associate Director will make the final decision on proposal funding.
Criteria |
Topics |
% |
Merit | Scientific, technical, and educational merit of the proposal. | 25% |
Relevance | The degree to which this proposal is relevant to NASA’s mission and program relevance to STEM curriculum. | 15% |
Retention | Potential of the project to increase student retention and achievement, particularly for women and underrepresented groups. | 20% |
Competency | Competency of the proposers to carry out the plan and achieve the stated goals | 20% |
Evaluation | Plan to evaluate the success of the project | 10% |
Budget | Adequacy and appropriateness of the budget to carry out the project, including institutional contributions or other non-federal matching funds. | 10% |
Total | 100% |
Projects must be completed by June 21, 2020. A progress report will be required in February 2020. A final report that includes an evaluation of the project’s effectiveness relative to the proposed objectives and other standard ISGC and NASA requirements will be required 30 days after the project closes, or no later than June 30, 2020.
Proposal Submission Procedure: Proposals in Microsoft Word format should be submitted by February 28, 2020 to isgc@iastate.edu and must demonstrate the ability to complete the project within the award period of performance (ending June 21, 2020).