National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program: Program-Level Independent Evaluation Opportunity | NNH20ZHA006C

Opportunity Information: Apply for NNH20ZHA006C

NASA's Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) is offering a competitive grant opportunity to the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program (Space Grant) network to run an independent, program-level evaluation of Space Grant activities across multiple states. Space Grant itself is a nationwide program aimed at developing a strong, diverse STEM workforce that can meet NASA's current and future needs, as well as broader national workforce priorities. Through this solicitation, NASA is not asking for new student programs or outreach activities; instead, it is specifically funding a two-year pilot impact evaluation that can later be expanded to assess Space Grant at full national scale.

The core purpose of the funded work is to produce an objective and unbiased assessment of how Space Grant is functioning and what it is achieving. NASA emphasizes that the evaluation must be truly independent, meaning it should be designed and carried out in a way that avoids conflicts of interest and provides credible findings that program leadership can trust. The pilot is expected to examine multiple state consortia so that the evaluation approach reflects the variety of Space Grant offerings and can generate lessons applicable across the entire program.

The evaluation is intended to answer two big sets of questions. First, it should determine whether and how the Space Grant Program is designed and implemented in alignment with federal law and NASA's STEM engagement goals and priorities. Second, it should assess outcomes and impact at a national level by examining the degree to which Space Grant is producing its intended outputs and outcomes. In practical terms, that means building evidence about what the program is doing, who it is reaching, how well it is meeting its goals, and what measurable results it is generating across states, rather than relying on anecdotal success stories or uneven local reporting.

NASA expects the results of this pilot to inform future decision-making in several concrete ways. The findings are meant to guide a longer-term, scaled evaluation strategy for Space Grant, shape program policies, improve data collection plans, and strengthen how NASA designs and makes competitive awards using appropriated funds. In other words, the evaluation is not just a compliance exercise; it is meant to produce actionable evidence that helps NASA manage and improve Space Grant with clearer national-level insight.

Eligibility is tied to the Space Grant consortia, which include representation across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The award mechanism is a cooperative agreement under the education activity category (CFDA 43.008). NASA anticipates making about two awards, with an award ceiling of $350,000 per award. The opportunity was created April 30, 2020, with an original closing date of July 16, 2020, under funding opportunity number NNH20ZHA006C.

On the application and submission side, proposals must be submitted electronically through NASA's NSPIRES system, and registration is mandatory not only for the lead applicant but also for any partners involved as sub-awardees or contractors. The proposal must be submitted by an authorized organizational representative, and all principal investigators and other project participants must also be registered in NSPIRES. NASA advises applicants to complete registrations well ahead of the deadline to avoid last-minute issues and to monitor NSPIRES for updates, since additional guidance may be posted as FAQs or formal amendments before the due date.

• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program: Program-Level Independent Evaluation Opportunity" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 43.008.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 30, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 16, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $350,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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