Grants for Individuals - Science and Technology

This challenge invites engineers and materials innovators worldwide to create a cost-effective, corrosion-resistant lining for flow meters used in harsh industrial environments, with the potential for significant monetary awards and collaboration opportunities with a leading automation company.

This microgrant provides funding to teachers and teens in underserved U.S. communities to host educational screening events focused on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, fostering youth engagement in global change efforts.

This grant provides funding to researchers and institutions to enhance their capabilities in conducting high-quality STEM education research, focusing on improving learning environments, broadening participation, and developing the STEM workforce.

This funding opportunity supports U.S. scientists collaborating with researchers in developing countries to address agricultural, energy, and environmental challenges through equitable partnerships in plant genome research.

This grant provides funding for innovative projects that help communities and ecosystems adapt to and recover from extreme weather events and natural hazards.

This funding opportunity supports doctoral students and research teams in California to conduct inclusive precision medicine research that addresses health disparities among historically underrepresented populations.

This funding opportunity supports innovative research and development in biological technologies that enhance national security, targeting universities, nonprofits, small businesses, and industry participants, particularly those with commercial potential.

The CASF Broadband Public Housing Account provides grants and loans to build broadband networks offering free broadband service for residents of low-income communities including, but not limited to, publicly supported housing developments, farmworker housing, and other housing developments or mobile home parks with low-income residents that do not have access to any broadband service provider that offers free broadband service that meets or exceeds state standards for the residents of the low-income community. The allocated funding for the Broadband Public Housing Account is $15 million for fiscal year 2022-2023.  The Broadband Public Housing Account will finance up to 100 percent of the costs to install inside wiring and broadband network equipment.

The Mathematical and Physical Sciences Ascending Postdoctoral Research Fellowships aim to support postdoctoral researchers from underrepresented groups in the mathematical and physical sciences by providing funding for research opportunities that enhance diversity and inclusion in these fields.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for Moroccan individuals and organizations to create programs that engage youth in cultural and educational exchanges focused on American values and skills in areas like English language learning, digital transformation, STEAM, and the creative economy.

This grant provides funding and technical support to innovators and organizations developing sustainable solutions for reusing and repurposing end-of-life products, promoting a circular economy and reducing waste.

This grant provides $3,000 to individual artists based in the Bronx to create new works that engage the community through public programs or collaborative processes.

CDFW may make grants to, reimburse, or enter into contracts or other agreements, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 1571, with public and private entities, including universities, nonprofit organizations, and California Native American tribes, as defined in Section 21073 of the Public Resources Code, for the use of the funds from the Upland Game Bird Account to carry out the purposes of Fish and Game Code §3684, including related habitat conservation projects. Any proposal fitting the criteria in this statue is qualified to be funded. 

This initiative provides a platform for technology providers, including industry and academic innovators, to showcase their AI and data analytics solutions to government buyers in the Department of Defense for potential procurement.

Agency Description: The Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy (ARPA-E), an organization within the Department of Energy (DOE), is chartered by Congress in the America COMPETES Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-69), as amended by the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-358), as further amended by the Energy Act of 2020 (P.L. 116-260): (A) to enhance the economic and energy security of the United States through the development of energy technologies that (i) reduce imports of energy from foreign sources; (ii) reduce energy-related emissions, including greenhouse gases; (iii) improve the energy efficiency of all economic sectors; (iv) provide transformative solutions to improve the management, clean-up, and disposal of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel; and (v) improve the resilience, reliability, and security of infrastructure to produce, deliver, and store energy; and (B) to ensure that the United States maintains a technological lead in developing and deploying advanced energy technologies. ARPA-E issues this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) under its authorizing statute codified at 42 U.S.C. 16538. The FOA and any cooperative agreements or grants made under this FOA are subject to 2 C.F.R. Part 200 as supplemented by 2 C.F.R. Part 910. ARPA-E funds research on, and the development of, transformative science and technology solutions to address the energy and environmental missions of the Department. The agency focuses on technologies that can be meaningfully advanced with a modest investment over a defined period of time in order to catalyze the translation from scientific discovery to early-stage technology. For the latest news and information about ARPA-E, its programs and the research projects currently supported, see: http://arpa-e.energy.gov/. ARPA-E funds transformational research. Existing energy technologies generally progress on established learning curves where refinements to a technology and the economies of scale that accrue as manufacturing and distribution develop drive improvements to the cost/performance metric in a gradual fashion. This continual improvement of a technology is important to its increased commercial deployment and is appropriately the focus of the private sector or the applied technology offices within DOE. In contrast, ARPA-E supports transformative research that has the potential to create fundamentally new learning curves. ARPA-E technology projects typically start with cost/performance estimates well above the level of an incumbent technology. Given the high risk inherent in these projects, many will fail to progress, but some may succeed in generating a new learning curve with a projected cost/performance metric that is significantly better than that of the incumbent technology. ARPA-E funds technology with the potential to be disruptive in the marketplace. The mere creation of a new learning curve does not ensure market penetration. Rather, the ultimate value of a technology is determined by the marketplace, and impactful technologies ultimately become disruptive that is, they are widely adopted and displace existing technologies from the marketplace or create entirely new markets. ARPA-E understands that definitive proof of market disruption takes time, particularly for energy technologies. Therefore, ARPA-E funds the development of technologies that, if technically successful, have clear disruptive potential, e.g., by demonstrating capability for manufacturing at competitive cost and deployment at scale. ARPA-E funds applied research and development. The Office of Management and Budget defines applied research as an original investigation undertaken in order to acquire new knowledgedirected primarily towards a specific practical aim or objective and defines experimental development as creative and systematic work, drawing on knowledge gained from research and practical experience, which is directed at producing new products or processes or improving existing products or processes. Applicants interested in receiving financial assistance for basic research (defined by the Office of Management and Budget as experimental or theoretical work undertaken primarily to acquire new knowledge of the underlying foundations of phenomena and observable facts) should contact the DOEs Office of Science (http://science.energy.gov/). Office of Science national scientific user facilities (http://science.energy.gov/user-facilities/) are open to all researchers, including ARPA-E Applicants and awardees. These facilities provide advanced tools of modern science including accelerators, colliders, supercomputers, light sources and neutron sources, as well as facilities for studying the nanoworld, the environment, and the atmosphere. Projects focused on early-stage R for the improvement of technology along defined roadmaps may be more appropriate for support through the DOE applied energy offices including: the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (http://www.eere.energy.gov/), the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (https://www.energy.gov/fecm/office-fossil-energy-and-carbon-management), the Office of Nuclear Energy (http://www.energy.gov/ne/office-nuclear-energy), and the Office of Electricity (https://www.energy.gov/oe/office-electricity). FOA Description: According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a circular economy refers to an economy that uses a systems-focused approach and involves industrial processes and economic activities that are restorative or regenerative by design, enables resources used in such processes and activities to maintain their highest value for as long as possible, and aims for the elimination of waste through the superior design of materials, products, and systems. Further, a circular economy reduces material use, redesigns materials, products, and services to be less resource intensive, and recaptures waste as a resource to manufacture new materials and products. Successfully achieving a circular economy requires implementing the above principles to the supply chains of numerous products. Specifically, creating a circular EV battery supply chain focuses on optimizing the full vehicle life cycle. Thus, the emphasis must shift from production and sales within an ownership model to a model focusing on customers mobility needs and access in the form of leasing, as it exists today, vehicle-on-demand (e.g., Zipcar), and mobility-on-demand (e.g., robotaxis). These different business models may coexist but will require increasing collaboration and transparency among different actors, while costs and revenues will be distributed across the supply chain. A circular supply chain offers new revenue streams and business opportunities by providing services to maximize EVs lifetime performance through: Enhancing regular predictive maintenance; Repairing and remanufacturing of battery modules and packs; Improving the reuse and recovery of EOL parts and materials; and Minimizing carbon footprint and maximizing resource efficiency. A circular supply chain also offers opportunities to reduce production and operating costs by: Improving the quality and stability of critical minerals supply chains through cell regeneration, reuse, and recycling; Facilitating rework, reuse, repair, and remanufacture of batteries through modular designs, reversible manufacturing materials and methods; and Reducing asset costs per unit amount of energy delivered owing to the retention of the embedded manufacturing value of batteries, their prolonged lifetime, and the extended use of EVs. The overarching goal of the CIRCULAR program is to successfully translate the above definition of a circular economy to the domestic EV battery supply chain by supporting the development of innovative solutions that can overcome both the technological and economic barriers to broad commercial adoption. CIRCULAR acknowledges that simultaneous advancements in multiple technological domains may be required to accomplish this ambitious objective. Therefore, the program is intentionally structured into four technology development categories designed to converge towards the creation of a domestic circular supply chain for EV batteries. The CIRCULAR program recognizes that conventional recycling is not the only, nor primary, pathway to closing the supply chain loop. Therefore, the primary objective of this program is to catalyze the creation of a circular EV battery supply chain in North America. The program will support the development and deployment of foundational technologies capable of maintaining materials and products in circulation at their highest level of performance and safety for as long as possible. Achieving this goal will directly impact ARPA-E mission areas as follows: Decrease Energy-Related Imports: The CIRCULAR program aims to reduce the import of critical battery materials, cells, packs, and EVs by establishing new supply chain loops within the U.S. Currently, individual steps in the battery supply chain (mining, material processing, cell component assembly, battery cell manufacturing, and recycling) are concentrated mostly outside of the U.S. Reduce Emissions: The CIRCULAR program aims to decrease the domestic energy burden and carbon footprint of the EV battery supply chain by extending the service life of battery cells and packs and by maintaining manufacturing value to the greatest extent possible through regeneration, repair, reuse, and remanufacture. The program will also reduce emissions associated with battery recycling by minimizing the amount of waste and by recycling only pack components that have reached their EOL. Improve Energy Efficiency: The CIRCULAR program aims to minimize energy and material consumption within the battery supply chain and to exploit opportunities to improve energy efficiency through innovative battery design, material regeneration, and/or manufacturing strategies. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a circular economy refers to an economy that uses a systems-focused approach and involves industrial processes and economic activities that are restorative or regenerative by design, enables resources used in such processes and activities to maintain their highest value for as long as possible, and aims for the elimination of waste through the superior design of materials, products, and systems. Further, a circular economy reduces material use, redesigns materials, products, and services to be less resource intensive, and recaptures waste as a resource to manufacture new materials and products. Successfully achieving a circular economy requires implementing the above principles to the supply chains of numerous products. Specifically, creating a circular EV battery supply chain focuses on optimizing the full vehicle life cycle. Thus, the emphasis must shift from production and sales within an ownership model to a model focusing on customers mobility needs and access in the form of leasing, as it exists today, vehicle-on-demand (e.g., Zipcar), and mobility-on-demand (e.g., robotaxis). These different business models may coexist but will require increasing collaboration and transparency among different actors, while costs and revenues will be distributed across the supply chain. A circular supply chain offers new revenue streams and business opportunities22 by providing services to maximize EVs lifetime performance through: Enhancing regular predictive maintenance; Repairing and remanufacturing of battery modules and packs; Improving the reuse and recovery of EOL parts and materials; and Minimizing carbon footprint and maximizing resource efficiency. A circular supply chain also offers opportunities to reduce production and operating costs by: Improving the quality and stability of critical minerals supply chains through cell regeneration, reuse, and recycling; Facilitating rework, reuse, repair, and remanufacture of batteries through modular designs, reversible manufacturing materials and methods; and Reducing asset costs per unit amount of energy delivered owing to the retention of the embedded manufacturing value of batteries, their prolonged lifetime, and the extended use of EVs. To view the FOA in its entirety, please visit https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov.

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) is seeking applications from Minnesota educational cooperative service units with prior experience in statewide leadership and technical assistance to ensure a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) for students with low incidence disabilities. This grant aims to sustain and increase the capacity of Minnesota's special education workforce, aligning with the MDE's mission to support all students, particularly those with low incidence disabilities who comprise less than 10 percent of all students receiving special education services or require intensive support in specific categorical areas. The grant opportunity estimates $875,000 per year is available, with an initial grant period from October 1, 2024, through September 30, 2025. The primary beneficiaries of this grant are educational professionals who provide education to students with low incidence disabilities in Minnesota, as well as the students themselves. The impact goals include enhancing the skills of educators and other educational professionals, addressing staff shortages, and improving early identification and support for students with low incidence disabilities. This initiative seeks to build a competent workforce capable of delivering high-quality special education services across the state. The program prioritizes providing aligned, requested, and anticipated technical assistance, including purposeful and sustained collaborative opportunities. This will involve a multi-tiered support framework for technical assistance (MTS-TA) to foster skill-building for educators. A key focus is coordination and partnership with local districts, coops, and other educational agencies, as well as collaboration with institutions of higher education to address workforce development and staff shortages. The categorical areas for necessary supports are outlined in the specific program expectations for grant-funded partners. Expected outcomes include a more robust and skilled special education workforce in Minnesota, improved technical assistance for educators, and enhanced educational outcomes for students with low incidence disabilities. Measurable results will likely involve metrics related to the number of professionals trained, the types of technical assistance provided, and improvements in early identification and support practices. The ultimate goal is to ensure that all students, especially those with low incidence disabilities, receive the necessary supports to achieve a free and appropriate public education.

This grant provides a three-month design partnership valued at $30,000 to nonprofit organizations and startups focused on women's health, helping them enhance their branding and communication efforts to drive social change.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture is offering a grant of over $1 million through its Dairy Plus Program to California dairy farms for implementing advanced manure management practices that reduce methane emissions and manage nitrogen and salt surplus, with a focus on climate-smart practices and product markets.

This grant provides funding to U.S.-based organizations and institutions to develop advanced insulating glass technologies that significantly improve energy efficiency in buildings.

This challenge invites innovators to develop solutions for sustainable lunar exploration, with cash prizes available for U.S. citizens and recognition for participants worldwide.