NASA SCIENCE MISSION DIRECTORATE SMD SCIENCE EDUCATION | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

NASA is offering a Science Mission Directorate (SMD) education funding opportunity through a Cooperative Agreement Notice (CAN) numbered NNH15ZDA004C, titled "NASA SMD Science Education." The core purpose of the program is to help NASA scientists and engineers engage with schools, educators, and the broader public more efficiently and more effectively, with the intent of strengthening learning experiences for people of all ages. In practice, this opportunity is designed to move NASA expertise and current science content into learning environments in a more organized, scalable way, so that learners and educators can benefit directly from NASA-driven science and engineering knowledge.

The solicitation is built around several high-level objectives tied to NASA SMD science education priorities. These include enabling STEM education, improving science literacy in the United States, advancing national education goals, and leveraging science education through partnerships. The emphasis on partnerships signals that NASA is looking for approaches that connect NASA assets and personnel with external organizations in education and outreach, rather than isolated activities. The overall theme is not just delivering content, but improving how NASA science and engineering are translated into meaningful educational impact.

NASA indicates it expects to select one or more focused teams organized around specific science disciplines. That means proposals may be structured around particular SMD science areas, with the possibility of multiple awards supporting different disciplinary needs. At the same time, NASA leaves open the option of making a single award that could cover all SMD science education requirements, so applicants could propose either a narrowly focused discipline-based approach or a broader, integrated model, depending on what the full CAN describes as responsive.

This opportunity uses a cooperative agreement as the funding instrument, which typically implies substantial involvement by the agency compared with a standard grant. In other words, the selected recipient(s) should be prepared for an active working relationship with NASA, potentially including coordination, shared planning, or collaborative implementation as part of the award. The funding activity area is listed under science and technology and other research and development, and the CFDA listing provided is 43.001 (Science). There is no stated cost sharing or matching requirement.

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning the competition is open to any type of entity, subject to any additional eligibility details that may appear in the full CAN text. The opportunity is managed by NASA Headquarters, and full details and official instructions are provided through NASA's NSPIRES system. Applicants are directed to locate the complete solicitation by going to http://nspires.nasaprs.com/, selecting Solicitations, then Open Solicitations, and searching for NNH15ZDA004C.

The key timeline elements provided include a posted date of February 4, 2015, a virtual preproposal conference on February 17, 2015 at 1:00 PM Eastern Time, a Notice of Intent due date of March 4, 2015, and a full proposal due date of May 4, 2015. NASA anticipated award decisions by September 30, 2015. The listing also notes an archive date of February 4, 2016, which generally reflects when the opportunity is no longer active for new submissions.

Several administrative notes are highlighted. First, NASA states that moving forward with the CAN depends on programmatic factors, including whether NASA receives an appropriation and an operating plan with sufficient funding, so applicants should understand that the solicitation is contingent on budget realities. Second, any costs incurred by applicants to develop and submit proposals are entirely at the applicants own risk, meaning there is no reimbursement for proposal preparation.

For applicant support and communications, NASA planned a virtual preproposal conference to clarify intent, scope, and selection criteria, with details to be posted on NSPIRES. Programmatic questions were required to be emailed no later than 15 days prior to the proposal due date, and emails needed to include "Science Education CAN" in the subject line. NASA also notes that the identities of those submitting comments would be kept confidential. Answers and Frequently Asked Questions were to be posted on NSPIRES, and applicants were responsible for checking for updates before submitting.

Contact details included Kristen Erickson (CANsci ed@hq.nasa.gov) and NSPIRES support (nais.support@nasa.gov) for technical access issues. Overall, this CAN represents NASA SMD's structured effort to fund one or more teams that can connect NASA science and engineering talent with education ecosystems at scale, aligned to national STEM and science literacy priorities and carried out in close coordination with NASA under a cooperative agreement framework.

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