HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE CYCLE 13 EDUCATION & PUBLIC OUTREACH GRANT
CALL FOR PROPOSALS

DEADLINE: Friday, 20 August 2004, 5:00 p.m. ET

URL: http://cycle-epo.stsci.edu

EMAIL: cycle_epo@stsci.edu

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Purpose
• Eligibility Requirements
• Exceptions and Previous Funding
• Elements of the Proposal
• Budget Guidelines
• Inquiries and Assistance with the Preparation of an E/PO Proposal
• Proposal Review Process
• Final Reports for Funded Programs

PURPOSE

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and its Office of Space Science (OSS) have developed a comprehensive approach to providing education and public outreach (E/PO) to enhance the public’s understanding of space science. NASA and OSS have incorporated these objectives as integral components of all missions and research programs. There are four documents that establish the basic E/PO policies and guidelines for NASA and OSS, as follows:

• NASA Strategic Plan 2000 [http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/codez/plans/pl2000.pdf],
• Space Science Enterprise 2000 Strategic Plan [http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/codez/plans/SSE00plan.pdf],
• The OSS/E/PO Strategy [http://spacescience.nasa.gov/education/resources/strategy/index.htm], and
• Explanatory Guide to the NASA Office of Space Science Education & Public Outreach Evaluation Criteria[http://ssibroker.colorado.edu/Broker/Eval_criteria/Guide/Default.htm],

These documents are also available on the web at http://spacescience.nasa.gov/education/index.htm.

In accordance with NASA OSS E/PO policies, 2% of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Cycle 13 budget has been allocated for E/PO funding. Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) is announcing the opportunity for accepted HST Cycle 13 General Observers, Archival and Snapshot (GO/AR/SNAP) researchers and current Hubble Fellows to submit proposals for an E/PO supplement to the parent research program. HST Cycle GO/AR/SNAP programs from previous cycles and Guaranteed Time Observers (GTO) are not eligible for an HST Cycle 13 E/PO supplement.

The spirit of the HST Cycle E/PO Grant Program is to encourage collaborative efforts between professional astronomers/space scientists and professional educators that would broaden the knowledge and understanding of the latest discoveries of the Hubble Space Telescope. The HST Cycle 13 E/PO proposal must have clear intellectual linkage to the science and/or science theme of the parent research program(s).

There are three HST Cycle 13 E/PO funding categories:

• Individual--An HST Cycle 13 GO/AR/SNAP Principal Investigator or Co Investigator may request up to $20,000 for an E/PO program. A current Hubble Fellow may also request up to $20,000 for an E/PO program.
• Teamed--A maximum of three (3) science research programs can team together, including Hubble Fellows, at $20,000 each, for up to $60,000. (See Exceptions and Previous Funding)
• Treasury--Programs may request up to $50,000, but are not able to request a larger funding amount through a teamed effort.

The deadline for submitting an HST Cycle 13 E/PO proposal is Friday, 20 August 2004 at 5:00 p.m. ET.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

The following must be fulfilled in an HST Cycle 13 E/PO proposal:

• an accepted HST Cycle 13 GO/AR/SNAP proposal number(s) or current Hubble Fellowship with a copy of the science abstract(s) in the Ancillary Documentation
• at least one (1) professional astronomer/space scientist from each parent research program active in the development and implementation of the program;
• at least one (1) professional educator active in the development and implementation of the program
• the proposed E/PO program focuses on education/public outreach in the U.S.
• the proposed E/PO program adheres to all elements of the proposal, evaluation criteria and budget guidelines

Principal Investigator, Co-Investigator & Team Members

Principal Investigator
The following is required to be eligible as Principal Investigator:

• The astronomer/space scientist must have an accepted HST Cycle 13 GO/AR/SNAP program or be a current Hubble Fellow.
• The astronomer/space scientist must be affiliated with a U.S. institution.
• The astronomer/space scientist must have an active lead in administering and guiding the program through to the final report. For a teamed proposal, only one astronomer/space scientist can be designated as the E/PO Principal Investigator.

  Assigning an HST Cycle 13 GO/AR/SNAP Co-Investigator to Serve as Principal Investigator
  If the Principal Investigator of a GO/AR/SNAP program is not located in the U.S. or chooses not to submit an E/PO proposal, they may assign that GO/AR/SNAP number to a Co-Investigator so that they may submit or participate on an HST Cycle 13 E/PO proposal. Any E/PO proposal submitted by a Co- Investigator must meet all the Principal Investigator eligibility requirements.

Co-Investigator
The Co-Investigator of an HST Cycle 13 E/PO program must be a professional educator. While this automatically fulfills the required criteria of having an education partner, the proposal must still demonstrate an active collaborative effort between the astronomer/space scientist and the professional educator. The following are eligible to serve as E/PO Co-Investigator:

• An educator with at least five (5) years experience in K-14 education and currently active in the education community, or
• An educator with at least five (5) years experience in an informal science institution (i.e. planetarium, museum, science center, etc.) and currently active in the education community.

Team Members
Proposals may include as many team members as necessary from various backgrounds to ensure the success of a proposed program. All team members must have clearly stated roles and responsibilities in the program description of the proposal. Additionally, if there are salary budget requests for any team member, there must be a clear description of the essential need for that team member included in the budget narrative (See Budget Guidelines).

EXCEPTIONS AND PREVIOUS FUNDING

Only accepted HST Cycle 13 GO/AR/SNAP programs are eligible for the HST Cycle 13 E/PO funding supplement. HST Cycle GO/AR/SNAP programs from previous cycles and Guaranteed Time Observers (GTO) are not eligible for an HST Cycle 13 E/PO supplement.

GO/AR/SNAP Proposal Numbers
An HST Cycle 13 GO/AR/SNAP program number can only be used once for an E/PO proposal. If multiple E/PO proposals are submitted under the same HST Cycle 13 GO/AR/SNAP program number, the Principal Investigator for the number in question will be contacted to verify which E/PO proposal is eligible for review. All other E/PO proposals will be disqualified.

Teamed Funding
HST Cycle 13 GO/AR/SNAP programs whose topic or the science foundations are similar may combine their efforts and submit a teamed E/PO proposal. A maximum of three (3) science research programs can team together, including Hubble Fellows, at $20,000 each, for up to $60,000. Treasury programs are not eligible for a teamed effort. A teamed proposal must:

• have one E/PO Principal Investigator designated from a parent science research program(s) who fulfills all the Principal Investigator eligibility requirements;
• have at least one U.S. member from each parent science research program active in the development and implementation of the proposed E/PO program ; and
• meet all the Call for Proposals requirements.

Previous Funding Through HST Cycle E/PO Grant Program

• Any Principal Investigator who has received previous funding through the HST Cycle E/PO Grant Program but is not yet required to submit a final report must include a brief progress report in the Ancillary Documentation citing the program’s current status.
• Any Principal Investigator who is required to submit a final or interim report from previous HST Cycle E/PO funding but has not done so will be ineligible for HST Cycle 13 E/PO funding.

NASA policies prohibit offering a grant for the sole purpose of generating a potentially marketable (retail/for profit) end-product such as a video, CD-ROM, slide set, poster or computer software. Grants can be awarded for an educational activity that might incorporate the use and assessment of a developed product. (Example: A proposed program may involve the development of an educational product, but this product would be part of a larger activity and would be distributed either for free or at cost.)

In addition, it is strongly encouraged that any person participating on a program with a salaried position in a for-profit company sign a non-disclosure agreement to avoid potential conflicts of interest directly related to intellectual property rights of other E/PO team members and/or partnering institutions. If an individual company is unwilling to comply with this request, it is usually not advisable to proceed with the proposed partnership.

ELEMENTS OF THE PROPOSAL

An Online Cover Page must be submitted for all E/PO proposals. The online cover page can be found at http://cycle-epo.stsci.edu/. The following information must be provided:

• Individual, Treasury or Teamed E/PO Proposal Designation
• Science Research Program Number
• Science Research Program Title
• Astronomer/Space Scientist from the Science Research Program
• E/PO Principal Investigator Information
• E/PO Co-Investigator Information
• E/PO Team Members
• E/PO Title (limited to 100 characters)
• Program Category
• Target Audience
• Evaluation Type
• Budget (in dollars)
• Institutions’ Authorizing Official (need signature)
• E/PO Abstract (limited to 250 words)

The following is included on the Online Cover Page for data collection only and is not required.

• Institution(s) underserved/underrepresented classification
• E/PO Proposal Guidance/Consulting Information

A completed Online Cover Page must be printed from the Web site, signed by the Institutions’ Authorizing Official and attached to an original of the E/PO proposal as well as all copies. (See Panel Review Process) If you are experiencing difficulty using the form, please contact program staff at cycle_epo@stsci.edu.

The following is limited to ten (10), single-sided, numbered pages with a font size no smaller than eleven (11) points.

Key Elements

• A clear description of the proposed program’s development, including goals and objectives
• Proposals using an existing E/PO resource(s) or product(s) must describe how it will be built upon or taken advantage of to enhance the understanding of science, mathematics, and/or technology education
• Identification of the target audience, including how the team intends to reach the target audience
• A clear description of the roles and responsibilities of every team member
• A timeline/list of milestones of the proposed program

  K-12 Education: Proposals targeting K-12 education, including informal science venues, must be aligned with and linked to nationally recognized and endorsed education standards. Proposals must include a citation of the specific national educational standard(s) the proposed program would align with. Publications that fully define national education standard content areas are:

  • National Science Education Standards [http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses/html/];
  • Principles and Standards for School Mathematics [http://www.nctm.org/standards/overview.htm];
  • American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Project 2061 Benchmarks [http://www.project2061.org/tools/benchol/bolintro.htm]; and
  • National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) Project [http://cnets.iste.org/index.html].

  NOTE: It is expected that programs targeting K-12 education have an educator(s) from the appropriate K-12 community participating in the development and execution of the program.

  College/University Education: Programs targeting undergraduate/graduate astronomy/space science for science majors will not be considered.

  General Public: Proposals targeting the general public must address the potential impact the proposed program would have. Additionally, proposals must demonstrate the potential for broader impact through replication. It is important to include potential attendance numbers and/or other related statistical information to demonstrate the potential impact.

  Web Development: Proposals that involve developing a website must include the following information:

  • Who will design and program the website
  • Who will host the website
  • How will the website be maintained
  • The cost(s) incurred to develop and maintain a website in the budget spreadsheet/narrative

Evaluation Plan: Proposals must have a clear, detailed evaluation plan describing how the program will be assessed for effectiveness. The evaluation plan should be appropriate to the scope of the proposed program. Additional information about evaluation can be found at http://cycle-epo.stsci.edu/evaluation.shtml.

Dissemination Plan: Proposals must have a clear, detailed plan describing how the results of the program will be disseminated to a broad audience, specifically on a national level. The dissemination plan should be appropriate to the scope of the proposed program.

Budget Spreadsheet and Narrative
The following must be itemized in a table/spreadsheet:

• An itemized list of each budget item for which funding is requested
• Any waiver or reduction of institutional overhead
• Any matching funds, in-kind contributions, or other opportunities to leverage for broader-range effect
• All entries must be rounded to the nearest dollar.

NOTE: Budgets do not require signatures at the time of proposal submission.

The following must be addressed in the narrative:

• A brief justification of each budget item listed in the table/spreadsheet
• An explanation of any waiver or reduction of institutional overhead, and/or
• An explanation of any matching funds, in-kind contributions, or other opportunities to leverage for broader-range effect

Ancillary Documentation
The following should be included in this section:

• Science Research Program Abstract
• Curriculum Vitae (CV) of All Team Members (five-page limit per team member): A CV should be included for EVERY team member participating in the proposed program. Each CV should include, in outline form, the education history, employment history, and a sample list of publications/workshops/presentations/classes relevant to the proposed program.
• Equipment Certification, where applicable. [See Budget Guidelines. See Appendix B for an Equipment Certification form.]
• Any documentation that would provide additional support to the proposed program, such as:
  • Letters of support demonstrating secure collaborations and commitment of all parties
  • A list of previous NASA Education Division, OSS Education/Public Outreach, or NSF Education/Public Outreach grant awards the Principal Investigator has received during the past five (5) years
  • A progress report(s) on currently active HST Cycle E/PO grant project(s)

If you have any questions about proposal submissions or the Call for Proposals, please contact program staff at cycle_epo@stsci.edu.

BUDGET GUIDELINES

The spirit of the HST Cycle E/PO Grant Program is to encourage collaborative efforts between professional astronomers/space scientists and professional educators that would broaden the knowledge and understanding of the latest discoveries of the Hubble Space Telescope. The HST Cycle E/PO proposal must have clear intellectual linkage to the science and/or science theme of the parent research program(s). Each item on the budget spreadsheet must be accompanied by a clear justification in the budget narrative. Any budget requests that are a substantial proportion of the entire budget should be clearly justified as an essential component of the program.

Funding Limits: There are three HST Cycle 13 E/PO funding categories:

• Individual -- An HST Cycle 13 GO/AR/SNAP Principal Investigator, Co Investigator (see Eligibility section) or Fellow may request up to $20,000 for an E/PO program. A current Hubble Fellow may request up to $20,000 for an E/PO program.
• Teamed -- A maximum of three (3) science research programs can team together (see Eligibility section), including Hubble Fellows, at $20,000 each, for up to $60,000.
• Treasury -- Programs may request up to $50,000 but are not able to request a larger funding amount through a teamed effort.

(See Eligibility Requirements)

Salary Support: Funding requests for salary can be made in accordance with the Space Telescope Science Institute’s General Grant Provisions document found at http://www.stsci.edu/institute/brc/ga/grants_provisions.html.

Equipment: Funding requests for the purchase of equipment (an item costing over $1,000 with a useful life of more than two years) must include detailed justification for the equipment, including how it will be incorporated as an essential component of the E/PO program. Any requests for equipment must also be accompanied with an Equipment Certification [see Appendix B] which assures the program will be used strictly for educational purposes, both during the program and once the program is complete. Hardware, such as computers, telescopes, etc., should be ancillary to the E/PO program rather than the primary use of funding. Any funding request for the purchase of equipment can be no more than 50% of the total E/PO budget (including cost sharing and in-kind contributions). It is not the intent of the E/PO program to purchase equipment for general use in schools, museums, planetariums, or other institutions and requests
will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Travel: Funding requests for travel can be made in limited circumstances, including for the purpose of disseminating information about E/PO programs/activities and to support participation in planning and/or implementation of E/PO programs/activities. It is not the intent of the grant program to provide substantial funding for travel, and requests will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Stipends, Tuition and Honorarium: Funding requests for stipends can be made for educators participating in programs/activities. Funding requests for tuition are not allowed. Funding requests for honorarium are not allowed.

Meals/Refreshments: Funding requests for meals/refreshments can be made in limited circumstances, including meals that are an integral part of a program (e.g., working meals, per diem), or to furnish a reasonable amount of refreshments to participants/attendees of a program. It is not the intent of the grant program to provide substantial funding for meals/ refreshments and requests will be evaluated on a case by- case basis.

Institutional Overhead: The budget for E/PO grant programs is limited, and it is requested that institutional overhead be reduced or waived by the submitting organization, since, in many cases, such activities will be of direct value to local educational and/or public science institutions.

Other: It is not possible to anticipate all types of budget requests. Any items not covered within the Call for Proposals will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, subject to legal restrictions, NASA policy, and the spirit of the E/PO program.

If you are unsure about the suitability of a particular budget item, please contact program staff at cycle_epo@stsci.edu.

INQUIRIES AND ASSISTANCE FOR THE PREPARATION OF E/PO PROPOSALS

Process Inquiries: Inquiries regarding the proposal process should be made directly to the HST Cycle E/PO Grant Program at cycle_epo@stsci.edu.

Program Inquiries: NASA OSS has established a nation-wide Space Science E/PO Support Network, whose purpose is to directly aid investigators in identifying and developing high-quality E/PO opportunities. Prospective proposers are strongly encouraged to make use of the Space Science E/PO Support Network to help identify suitable opportunities and to arrange appropriate alliances. This infrastructure provides coordination, background, and linkages that would foster partnerships between the space science and E/PO communities, as well as the services needed to establish and maintain a vital national, coordinated, long-term OSS E/PO program.

Within the Space Science E/PO Support Network infrastructure are the following:

• The OSS science theme-oriented Forums are available to help orchestrate and organize the education/outreach aspects of OSS missions and research programs in a comprehensive way.
• The regional Broker/Facilitators are responsible for identifying and establishing high-leverage opportunities, arranging alliances between educators and OSS-supported scientists, and helping scientists turn results from space science missions and programs into educationally appropriate activities that could be distributed regionally and nationally.

A more detailed description of the Space Science E/PO Support Network and contact information for both the Forums and Broker/Facilitators can be found at http://spacescience.nasa.gov/education/index.htm. Proposers should note that Forums and Broker/Facilitators have been established to provide help, but the proposer is fully responsible for the development of the E/PO program, as well as writing the proposal.

PROPOSAL REVIEW PROCESS

Proposal Submission and Deadline: The following must be received by the STScI Office of Public Outreach by Friday, 20 August 2004 at 5:00 p.m. ET:

• Online Cover Page with appropriate signatures;
• one (1) unbound original; and
• six (6) bound copies of the Online Cover Page and original proposal (stapled or clipped).

  All materials must be mailed to:

  Space Telescope Science Institute
  Office of Public Outreach/HST Cycle E/PO Grant
  3700 San Martin Drive, Room 215
  Baltimore, Maryland 21218

Proposals received after the deadline or that do not meet eligibility requirements will not be reviewed for funding. The E/PO Principal Investigator will be notified via email in such circumstances.

Evaluation Criteria: The principal elements considered in evaluating an E/PO proposal are its intrinsic merit, relevance to NASA’s objectives, and its cost. The failure of a proposal to be rated highly in any one of these elements is sufficient cause for the E/PO proposal to be declined. [Intrinsic merit and relevance are equally weighed and approximately twice that of Cost.]

• Quality, Scope and Realism, and Appropriateness: Programs have a clear intellectual linkage to the science and/or science theme of the parent research program(s), are clearly organized, consistent with the requested budget, have clear lines of management responsibilities, and demonstrate a high probability for successful implementation.
• Customer Needs Focus: Programs have been designed to respond to a need identified by the education community, a customer, or a customer group.
• Partnership/Leverage/Sustainability: Programs achieve high leverage and/or sustainability through intrinsic design or the involvement of appropriate local, regional, and/or national partners in their design, development, and dissemination.
• Scientist Participation: Active involvement of appropriate and qualified partners and members of the science team is required. Proposals must also clearly demonstrate a collaborative effort between the astronomer/space scientist(s) and educational professional(s), with all team members having an active role in the proposed program.
• Evaluation: The appropriateness of an evaluation plan to document outcomes and demonstrate progress toward achieving objectives of proposed education/outreach activities, commensurate with the scale of the E/PO program.
• Content: Programs make direct use of NASA content, people, or facilities to involve educators, students, and/or the public in NASA science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Proposals that focus on formal education must demonstrate alignment with appropriate educational standards.
• Pipeline: Through the use of NASA space science, programs/products make a demonstrable contribution to attracting diverse populations to careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
• Diversity: Through the use of NASA space science, programs/products reach identified targeted groups and contribute to the involvement, broad understanding, and/or training of underserved, and/or underutilized groups in science and technology.
• Resource Utilization: The adequacy, appropriateness, and realism of the proposed budget including demonstration of effective use of funds.

Panel Review: The panel review is held approximately 4-6 weeks (late September-early October) after the proposal submission deadline. A panel review team performs a formal evaluation of all complete proposals. The panel review team is composed of members of the education, scientific, and NASA communities, who are recruited based on professional expertise in their field as well as their knowledge of astronomy/space science and education/public outreach.

Award Notification: Award notification letters will be sent to the Principal Investigator approximately 12- 14 weeks (late December-early January) after the panel review. In addition to an award notification letter, Principal Investigators will receive a Panel Review Comment Sheet, which will provide detailed feedback from the panel review team regarding the proposal.

The HST Cycle E/PO Grant Program reserves the right to make adjustments to any portion of the proposal based on the panel review team’s comments and suggestions, including adjustments to the proposed budget and acceptance of only a portion of the proposal. STScI/OPO has oversight and approval authority of the review process. However, concurrence on the final selections will be provided by NASA OSS.

FINAL REPORTS FOR FUNDED PROJECTS

Principal Investigators will be contacted by the Grants Administration Branch of STScI to finalize awards for accepted proposals. At this time, a formal budget must be submitted in order for funds to be disbursed. Additionally, the Principal Investigator will be given a timeline for the period to complete the program. At the completion of the program, Principal Investigators will have ninety (90) days to submit a final report for the program. A copy of the final report form can be found at http://cycle-epo.stsci.edu/FinalReport.shtml.

APPENDIX A

In order to categorize and facilitate arranging the review panels and process, the IDEAS grant program requires that proposers identify their target audience and program category as described below.

TARGET AUDIENCE
Consistent with the OSS Education & Public Outreach Strategy and Implementation Plan, the HST Cycle E/PO Grant Program has identified two categories of target audiences that must be identified as the primary focus of proposed activities on the Online Cover Page.

PROGRAM CATEGORY
All proposals must identify the program category on which it will focus.

APPENDIX B

EQUIPMENT CERTIFICATION

The following certification document must be executed by an authorizing official of the grantee organization and submitted with the grantee’s proposal. The grantee organization certifies that any major pieces of equipment (e.g., telescopes, Starlabs, etc.) or items costing over $1,000 with a useful life of more than two years purchased through a grant resulting from this proposal will be used solely for the purpose of directly supporting the program during the life of the grant. This certification covers, but is not limited to:

This certification is a material representation of fact upon which reliance was placed when this transaction was made or entered into. Any person or institution that does not comply with the certification will forfeit the use of equipment as well as any remainder of grant funding.

_____________________________________________
Signature of Certifying Authorizing Official

_____________________________________________
Institution Name

_______________________
Date

06-02