opportunity grants

State-wide NYSG opportunity grants are competitively awarded to support New York primary, secondary, and post-secondary educators and higher education students working on NASA-related projects in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Each applicant can request up to $2,000 in funding, available on a recurring basis during the fiscal year.

The intent of NYSG awards are to attract, recruit and train U.S. citizens, especially women, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities, for careers in aerospace science and technology

Proposer Eligibility Requirements:

To be eligible to apply, grant recipients:

• Must be full-time students or faculty members at accredited colleges/universities within NY State (includes community colleges and technical schools), or K-12 STEM teachers (or parent of home-schooled student with an approved individualized home instruction plan – IHIP) within NY State

• Must be able to receive the funding directly—as a stipend payment—as an individual, rather than through an organization, institution, or group of individuals

Project Priorities:

• High priority projects:

  • Large-scale projects involving multiple students

  • Broad geographic impact beyond one campus or community

  • New initiatives or innovative programs

  • Regional partnerships or multi-school collaborations

  • Strong potential for long-term sustainability

  • Clear, measurable outcomes

  • Can serve as a model for replication in other areas

• Mid priority projects:

  • Locally focused projects with a few students

  • Direct impact on campus, town, or surrounding community

  • Clear community engagement and involvement

  • Practical and achievable goals within a defined scope

  • Examples include local outreach, sustainability efforts, and community improvement projects

• Low priority projects:

  • Funding primarily for one student

  • Individual work, development, or research

  • Limited collaboration with others

  • Smaller community impact or limited broader reach

  • Primarily supports personal or academic growth rather than group benefit

  • Funding represents a small fraction of the overall budget and impact

eligible use of Funds:

Funds may be used for activities that include but are not limited to the following:

• Faculty collaboration with NASA researchers

• Modify and/or expand ADA accessible equipment in lab spaces

• Payload space on launch vehicles

• Student research mentored by college faculty or professional scientists

• Participation in training or professional development

Ineligible use of Funds:

Funds may not be used for the following activities:

• Senior projects as part of a required course

• Travel for a single person

• Funding for a competition if you have not yet been selected to participate in

Project merit:

To be considered for funding applicants must exemplify their project/activity’s:

• Relevance to NASA priorities, aerospace science, technology, or education

• Impact on New York State

• Impact on recipient

• Previous NYSG funding

Rubric:

Deadlines:

A table of application due dates is shown below.