National Space Grant and Fellowship Project

Active

Assistance listing
43.015
Agency
Grant awards
11 $15,095,478 in federal obligations

Program facts

Also known as
Space Grant
Assistance types
  • Cooperative Agreement
  • Project Grant
Treasury account
  • 80-0128-0-1-252
More information

Program details come from SAM.gov Assistance Listings. Updated . Grant award figures come from USAspending.gov.

About this program

NASA is funding STEM workforce development activities through the National Space Grant and Fellowship Project (CFDA 43.015), with the most recent grant award made on July 1, 2025. The program operates a national network across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico to cultivate science and engineering talent for space exploration through training, research, and industry partnerships.

Award activity has been consistent over the past five years, with two to three grants awarded annually. Eleven grants totaling $15.1 million in federal dollars have been obligated since 2020, with the most recent award closing out as of July 1, 2025. The program is split evenly between Project Grants (55 percent, six awards) and Cooperative Agreements (45 percent, five awards). NASA's Shared Services Center administers all funding under this Assistance Listing.

Recent awards span multiple technical domains. The Kansas National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program received a $1.815 million cooperative agreement for STEM workforce development through June 2029. Project grants have funded more specialized research: robotics and autonomy for planetary missions ($234,800), oxygen systems for spacecraft propulsion and life support ($167,602), boron nitride nanotube fibers for lightweight aerospace materials ($252,000), and parabolic flight experiments for cryogenic heat transfer measurement ($968,116). Larger cooperative agreements have funded regional consortia such as the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium ($4.874 million) and Missouri Space Grant Consortium ($4.255 million), which coordinate research, outreach, and education across multiple affiliated institutions.

Typical project grants fall in the $150,000–$300,000 range, while cooperative agreements span from $1 million to $4.8 million, often supporting multi-institutional partnerships. Award recipients must be 4-year colleges, universities, or nonprofit research organizations. Applicants must submit through NASA's NSPIRES system, and selection timelines extend 150 to 220 days after proposal submission following federal budget approval. The source does not identify any currently open grant opportunities.

Objective and description

Objective

The National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program (Space Grant) was authorized by Congress in response to the need for a coordinated effort to help maintain America's preeminence in aerospace science and technology. Through the establishment of

Description

Space Grant is a national network located in all 50 states , plus the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico that fosters science and engineering training, research, and industry partnerships with the goal of cultivating a skilled, innovative talent pool to advance space exploration and innovations.

Eligibility

Applicant eligibility

4 - Year College or University; Non-Profit Research Organization - Applicants should refer to the NOFO for additional eligibility requirements

Uses of assistance

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.

Use restrictions

Restrictions on the use of assistance for this listing are governed by the limitations and conditions set forth in NASA's Grant and Cooperative Agreement Manual (GCAM). The GCAM includes a dedicated section on limitations and restrictions, which outlines the circumstances under which funds may not be used. Applicants and recipients should refer to the applicable GCAM limitations provisions, in conjunction with the specific Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), to understand any restrictions that apply. Only restrictions that are unique to this Assistance Listing or organization are identified here; all other standard limitations apply as described in the GCAM.

How to apply

Preapplication coordination

Applicants must follow the proposal submission instructions outlined in the applicable Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). Specific submission requirements-including whether a Notice of Intent (NOI) and/or Phase I proposals are required-are defined in the individual funding opportunity announcement and may vary by program. In addition, all Principal Investigators (PIs) and Co-Investigators (Co-Is) must register in NASA's Solicitation and Proposal Integration and Review System (NSPIRES) at https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external as NSPIRES is used to support proposal submission, review, and award processing.

Criteria for selecting proposals

All proposals will undergo an administrative, merit, and financial review. The NASA funding organization responsible for managing the technical aspects of an awarded effort is responsible for the merit review process, which may be based on peer review. All applications for NASA discretionary awards are subject to a merit review with the objective of selecting the recipient most likely to be successful in delivering results based on the objectives outlined in this Assistance Listing. Applicants may consult the NASA Grant and Cooperative Agreement manual for additional information on NASA Proposal review and selection process. https://www.nasa.gov/grants-policy-and-compliance-team/#Regulations

Award procedure

After proposals are submitted, NASA evaluates all applications to determine funding selections, and applicants are notified of the outcome by email. Award selection announcements generally occur 150 to 220 days after the proposal due date, following approval of NASA funding through the federal budget process. Selection timelines may be extended due to budget delays, required final approvals and concurrence, or if additional information is needed from the applicant, such as revised budgets or supporting details required to finalize the award.

Time to approval or disapproval

For information on application review procedures, applicants should refer to the applicable section of Proposal Review and Selection Criteria of the GCAM: https://www.nasa.gov/grants-policyand- compliance-team/#Regulations

Renewals

Renewal and extension information can be found in the NASA Grant and Cooperative Manual (GCAM) and the NSSC website at https://www.nasa.gov/centers/nssc/grants

Appeals

Information on NASA appeals policy and process can be found in the NASA Grant and Cooperative Agreement Manual (GCAM), and does not apply to proposals returned without review by NASA for an applicant's failure to: a. Submit a late proposal where information regarding the proposal deadline (i.e., date, time, and location) for submission had been previously specified. b. Meet the NASA proposal preparation requirements, such as page limitations, formatting, instructions, and electronic submission. c. Submit a proposal that is responsive to the NOFO or that contains sufficient detail. d. Submit the proposal with enough lead time before the activity is to commence.

Grant awards

Award Recipient Federal obligations Awarded
NASA strategic goal 4: enhance capabilities and operations to catalyze current and future mission success. NASA… 80NSSC25M7123 Wichita State University $1,815,000
NASA strategic goal 4: enhance capabilities and operations to catalyze current and future mission success. NASA… 80NSSC25M7134 Ohio Aerospace Institute $1,815,000
Robotics and autonomy continue to push the boundaries of space exploration but direct interaction with the… 80NSSC24K1344 The Leland Stanford Junior University $234,800
23-NSTGRO24-0071 leveraging van DER waals forces to produce bnnt fibers 80NSSC24K1346 Georgia TECH Research Corp $252,000
Oxygen is an essential component of critical space technologies such as spacecraft propulsion life support (e.g… 80NSSC24K1332 University Of Illinois $167,602
Coherent thomson scattering to investigate lower-hybrid instabilities in the front pole region of a magnetically… 80NSSC23K1217 Georgia TECH Research Corp $252,000
Spacetech-reddi-2022 parabolic flight experiments for measurement of spray heat transfer during cryogen chilldown… 80NSSC23K0845 Purdue University $968,116
21-NSTGRO22-0032 touchless charge sensing of neighboring spacecraft in cislunar space 80NSSC22K1175 The Regents Of The University Of Colorado $260,268
Overview of the data that will be produced by the proposed project: as planned one seed research and two small… 80NSSC22M0028 Wichita State University $1,000,000
The arkansas space grant consortium (asgc) consists of 17 affiliate members across the jurisdiction not only… 80NSSC20M0106 University Of Arkansas System $4,074,757

Latest 10 of 11 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.

Top recipients by federal obligations

Rank Recipient Federal obligations Share
1 University Of Missouri System $4,255,935 28%
2 University Of Arkansas System $4,074,757 27%
3 Wichita State University $2,815,000 19%
4 Ohio Aerospace Institute $1,815,000 12%
5 Purdue University $968,116 6%
6 Georgia TECH Research Corp $504,000 3%
7 The Regents Of The University Of Colorado $260,268 2%
8 The Leland Stanford Junior University $234,800 2%
9 University Of Illinois $167,602 1%

Federal obligations by fiscal year

Fiscal year Federal obligations
FY2026 $2,090,800

Quick answers

What is Assistance Listing 43.015?

Assistance Listing 43.015 is National Space Grant and Fellowship Project, a federal grant program run by National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

What is the CFDA number for National Space Grant and Fellowship Project?

Its CFDA number is 43.015: Assistance Listing numbers were called CFDA numbers before 2018.

How much funding has Assistance Listing 43.015 awarded?

11 grant awards under 43.015 have obligated $15,095,478 in federal funds to 9 recipients.

Who receives the most funding from 43.015?

The recipients obligated the most under National Space Grant and Fellowship Project are University Of Missouri System ($4,255,935), University Of Arkansas System ($4,074,757) and Wichita State University ($2,815,000).

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