NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM), through its Next Gen STEM Project (https://www.nasa.gov/stem/nextgenstem), collaborating closely with the Mission Directorates, and also in cooperation with NASA Headquarters’ Office of Communications and Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity, solicits proposals led by Informal Education Institutions (IEIs) to provide inquiry- or experiential-based educational opportunities with direct alignment to major NASA missions for students and the public, and their learning support systems of families and informal and formal educators and institutions, in support of federal and Agency strategies, goals, objectives and priorities relevant to STEM education and engagement.
Through Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions (TEAM II), NASA seeks to enhance the ability of IEIs and partners to deliver and participate in NASA-based activities, and to increase the capacity of institutions to utilize NASA resources and to provide students with the opportunity to contribute to NASA’s mission using innovative tools and platforms. TEAM II seeks projects that feature the most current NASA space exploration, missions, engineering, and technologies to support NASA STEM Engagement objectives, strategies, and outcomes.
The 2021 TEAM II NOFO is an omnibus solicitation, offering a variety of distinct program elements to which eligible IEIs may propose, issued as appendices to the NOFO. Initially, two program elements are offered, Standard Awards for TEAM II (STAT) which is analogous to previous TEAM II NOFOs, and Community Anchor Awards for TEAM II (CAAT). If and when future TEAM II opportunities become available, NASA anticipates adding them as program elements under this NOFO through Fiscal Year 2023.
Community Anchor Awards for TEAM II (CAAT) will provide financial support of between $20K-$25K total to cover activities for a period of one to two years that allow IEIs to establish themselves as a new or emerging local NASA STEM informal education community resource, implement authentic NASA STEM experiences that benefit a diverse audience in their local community, and participate in a NASA Informal Education (IE) Learning Cohort. This range allows selection of a minimum of eighteen (18) proposals, depending on the submission of proposals of merit from eligible organizations. Successful proposals will be awarded as grants.
Organizations shall submit only one (1) proposal per Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), currently the DUNS number. If an organization submits more than one proposal using the same UEI, then none of its proposals will be evaluated.
Deadlines:
Standard Awards for TEAM II (STAT) will provide financial support of between $500K-$800K total to cover activities for a period of two to four years that allow IEIs to target STEM engagement for diverse groups of youth and their learning support systems of families and informal and formal educators and institutions. NASA expects to select between four (4) and six (6) proposals for award. Successful proposals will be funded as cooperative agreements based on the requirements of the NOFO. Primary interest is students of upper elementary and middle school age, in grades 4-8, however, proposals utilizing innovative methods for targeting other specific age groups such as early learners, youth in grades K-3, and high school age students are also welcome. Projects are required to address one or more of the technical subject areas of NASA-themed space exploration, aeronautics, space science, Earth science, and/or microgravity, in alignment with one or more of the NASA Communications themes described in the 2021 TEAM II NOFO, collaborate with a NASA Mission Directorate or NASA Center, and Utilize one or more regional or national networks, consortia, or associations of STEM- and STEM education-related IEIs to magnify and maximize the reach and impact of the proposed work.
Organizations shall submit only one (1) proposal per Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), currently the DUNS number. If an organization submits more than one proposal using the UEI, then none of its proposals will be evaluated.
Deadlines:
The 2021 TEAM II NOFO is open U.S. Institutions, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) (other than NASA JPL), state government agencies, local government agencies, federally recognized tribal government agencies, science museums and planetariums, libraries, youthserving organizations, non-profit organizations, and non-domestic entities (see Section 3.6 of this NOFO). These entities may participate as a lead institution as noted by the specific program element guidelines.
Note: Specific appendices may further limit the eligibility for lead proposers, subawards, and unfunded collaborations. Refer to each TEAM II Program Element Appendix for specific eligibility details.
