Federal grant programs / National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Office of Stem Engagement (OSTEM) (43.008)

Also known as OSTEM

• Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$532 million
• Grant awards771
• Typical award$235,649
• Awarded in FY 2025$88.6 million
• Size rank357 of 1824
• Type of assistanceCooperative agreements, cooperative agreements (discretionary grants), project grants, project grants (contracts), project grants (cooperative agreements or contracts), project grants (cooperative agreements), project grants (discretionary), project grants (fellowships), project grants (for specified projects), project grants (including individual awards), project grants (including travel grants)

Key findings

• Annual funding fell from $132 million in fiscal 2021 to $88.6 million in fiscal 2025.
• It is the 357th largest of 1,824 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
• The 20 largest recipients received 41% of the money.
• Awards went to recipients in 54 states and territories.

What the program funds

The aerospace industry must continually cultivate a highly skilled and competitive science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce today and in the future to achieve and maintain America’s position as a global leader in innovation and technology. To address the growing talent gap in STEM, NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) will sharpen its focus on America’s STEM workforce development needs to accelerate students toward obtaining STEM jobs. The Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) seeks to: 1) attract students to STEM through unique learning opportunities that spark interest and provide connections to NASA’s mission and work; 2) engage students in authentic learning experiences with NASA’s people, content, and facilities; 3) enable students to contribute to NASA’s work in exploration and discovery through challenges and work experiences; and 4) utilize evidence-based practices to advance and stimulate STEM education and research.

From the federal Assistance Listing. Read the full listing on SAM.gov.

Open opportunities

• EONS 2018: Appendix E Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) for Sustainability and Innovation Collaborative – (MUSIC)
  Open · Rolling or no fixed deadline · up to $450,000
• National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program - Opportunities in NASA STEM FY 2020 – 2024
  Open · Rolling or no fixed deadline · up to $700,000

Rules from the program listing

Who can apply

Categories of organizations that may be eligible for NASA grants and cooperative agreements include: • Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) – A two- or four-year university or college (including U.S. community Designations Unrestricted by Entity Type colleges), public or private, accredited to confer degrees beyond that of the K-12 grade levels. 29 • Educational Institutions – Non-higher-education entities, such as K-12 education groups or institutions of informal education, are classified as Educational Institutions.2 • Non-profit Organization – An organization that: o Is operated primarily for scientific, engineering, educational, research, or similar purposes in the public interest; o Is not organized primarily for profit; o Uses net proceeds to maintain, improve, or expand the organization’s operations; and o Is not an IHE. Non-profit organizations generally exclude (i) colleges and universities; (ii) hospitals; and (iii) state, local, and Federally recognized Indian tribal governments. • For-profit Entity – An organization of any size that is organized primarily for profit. • Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) – FFRDCs are under a broad charter by a Government agency for performing, analyzing, or conducting research for the United States Government. NASA sponsors JPL as the Agency’s sole FFRDC, and JPL is not an eligible applicant to receive a NASA-funded grant or cooperative agreement as a recipient or subrecipient3 .

Continue reading on SAM.gov

What the money can and cannot pay for

Although NASA’s statutory authority extends beyond research awards, the Agency primarily issues grants and cooperative agreements to support research and research-related activities. Such activities include, but are not limited to, education, travel, conferences, and training. Information on both active and closed NASA grants and cooperative agreements is publicly available at USAspending.gov. Applicants and recipients must refer to the applicable Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) and award terms and conditions for program-specific requirements and additional details.

Matching requirements

This program has no statutory formula. A cost-sharing percentage is displayed to satisfy a system requirement that necessitates selection of a value. Cost-sharing requirements is voluntary for this listing. Applicants. Applicants should refer to the NOFO for detailed cost-sharing requirements.MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

Award range and average, in the agency's words

OSTEM awards generally range from under $100k to $1M with an average of $430k per award. Please review funding opportunity announcement(s) for additional information.

Examples of funded projects

Fiscal Year2018: National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program Minority University Research and Education Program Next Generation STEM Established Program to Stimulate Competitive ResearchFiscal Year2019: National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program Minority University Research and Education Program Next Generation STEM Established Program to Stimulate Competitive ResearchFiscal Year2020: National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program Minority University Research and Education Program Next Generation STEM Established Program to Stimulate Competitive ResearchFiscal Year2021: National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program Minority University Research and Education Program Next Generation STEM Established Program to Stimulate Competitive ResearchFiscal Year2022: 1) National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program, 2) Minority University Research and Education Program, 3) Next Generation STEM, 4) Established Program to Stimulate Competitive ResearchFiscal Year2023: 1) National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program, 2) Minority University Research and Education Program, 3) Next Generation STEM, 4) Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research Please see education and research award examples in the 2023 Highlights Report https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/nasa-stem-highlights-fy2023-final-508.pdf?emrc=59958aFiscal Year2024: STEM Innovators TEAM II Award - Fab Lab El Paso- Frontiers in Flight: Aeronautics STEM program pilot for...

Continue reading on SAM.gov

Quoted from the program's federal Assistance Listing. The notice of funding opportunity is the official source for each competition's rules.

Who usually wins

Nonprofits received 34% of the money, state and local governments 34% and colleges and universities 19%.

By state

Each state below has its own page for this program, with its recipients and yearly totals.

Award amounts are federal obligations reported to USAspending.gov for fiscal 2021 to 2025; see how our data works.