National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC) Privacy Pilots Cooperative Agreement Program | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the NSTIC Privacy Pilots Cooperative Agreement Program?

The National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC) Privacy Pilots Cooperative Agreement Program was a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) funding opportunity focused on moving identity and privacy technology from concept into practical, real-world pilots. The goal was to support projects that strengthen trust in online interactions by testing, demonstrating, or deploying privacy-enhancing identity solutions aligned with the NSTIC vision for a more mature and broadly usable identity ecosystem.

What was the main goal of this funding opportunity?

The central goal was to accelerate practical pilots that show how individuals and organizations can authenticate, share attributes, and interact online with greater confidence while reducing unnecessary collection or exposure of personal information. The emphasis was on real deployments and demonstrations under real operational constraints, not purely theoretical or lab-only research.

What types of projects was NIST looking to fund?

NIST sought pilots that test, demonstrate, or deploy privacy-enhancing identity solutions. The program highlighted solutions that help close real gaps in privacy-preserving identity, including user-centric credentialing, privacy-friendly attribute sharing, consent-driven identity workflows, and approaches that reduce reliance on centralized identifiers and excessive data collection.

Did the program prioritize brand-new solutions or improvements to existing products?

The opportunity specifically indicated interest in demonstrating or deploying new solutions that either did not yet exist in the marketplace or were not widely adopted at the time. This framing encouraged proposals that went beyond incremental tweaks to common identity products.

What does it mean that this opportunity focused on "pilots"?

"Pilots" meant practical, field-oriented work intended to show performance with real users, real organizations, and real-world operating conditions. Projects were expected to demonstrate usability and operational feasibility, not just provide design concepts or prototypes without deployment experience.

What guiding principles were identity solutions expected to follow?

Proposed identity solutions were expected to follow the NSTIC guiding principles. Based on the announcement summary, applicants were expected to design projects that are privacy-enhancing and voluntary, secure and resilient, interoperable, and cost-effective and easy to use.

What does "privacy-enhancing and voluntary" mean in this program?

"Privacy-enhancing" meant privacy protections should be built in rather than added later. "Voluntary" meant participation should not be forced. The overall expectation was that solutions minimize unnecessary collection or exposure of personal information and support consent-driven participation.

What did NIST mean by "secure and resilient"?

Projects needed strong defenses against common cyber risks and the ability to continue operating reliably even under stress or attack. Security and resilience were described as key requirements for pilots intended to strengthen trust in online interactions.

Why was interoperability a key requirement?

Interoperability signaled that NIST wanted pilots capable of working across different platforms, sectors, and technology stacks. The intent was to avoid locking users into a single vendor or closed ecosystem and instead support broader usability across the identity ecosystem.

How important were cost and usability in proposals?

Cost-effectiveness and ease of use were explicit requirements. The opportunity emphasized that even technically strong identity systems can fail if they are too expensive to deploy or too complicated for everyday users.

What type of funding instrument was used?

This was a discretionary grant opportunity using a cooperative agreement funding instrument. A cooperative agreement typically implies more substantial involvement and collaboration with the federal sponsor than a standard grant.

What was the funding activity category?

The funding activity category was Science and Technology and other Research and Development.

What CFDA number was associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity was listed under CFDA 11.619 (Arrangements for Interdisciplinary Research Infrastructure).

Was cost sharing or matching required?

No. The opportunity stated there was no cost sharing or matching requirement, which lowered barriers for organizations unable to contribute significant non-federal funds.

Who was eligible to apply?

Eligibility included accredited institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, and commercial organizations incorporated in the United States, as well as state, local, territorial, and Indian tribal governments within the United States.

Did non-governmental applicants need to be incorporated in the United States?

Yes. The announcement clarified that a non-governmental applicant had to be incorporated in the U.S., although the applicant could have a parent organization outside the U.S.

Could applicants apply as a team or consortium?

Yes. Applicants could apply alone or form teams that included subawardees, contractors, or other collaborators. This allowed consortia to propose integrated pilots combining technology development, deployment partners, and user communities.

Could an organization submit more than one application?

Yes. Organizations were allowed to submit more than one application as long as each submission addressed a distinct topic.

Could federal agencies participate?

Federal agencies could participate as partners, but they could not receive NIST funding under this program.

How were applications submitted?

Applications were required to be submitted electronically through Grants.gov.

When was the opportunity posted and when were applications due?

The opportunity was posted on March 26, 2015. The application deadline was May 28, 2015, with submissions due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

What does it mean that the opportunity is in archive status?

The opportunity later moved into archive status on June 27, 2015, indicating it was no longer active for new submissions after the close of the application period.

Who was the contact person for access issues with the full announcement?

The listed agency contact for access issues was Christopher Hunton, Grants Technical Assistant. He could be reached by phone at 301-975-5718.

In one sentence, what was the program designed to achieve?

The program was designed to accelerate practical demonstrations of privacy-forward identity technology, encourage interoperable and usable solutions, and strengthen trust in online transactions across the private sector and all levels of government.