Space Operations

NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate ensures continued American leadership in low Earth orbit, encourages economic growth of the commercial space sector, enables continued and successful access to space, and provides a foundation for deep space exploration.

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 colleges), public or private, accredited to confer degrees
beyond that of the K-12 grade levels.
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• 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
. However, FFRDCs sponsored by
agencies other than NASA may be eligible to receive a NASA-funded award as a
recipient or subrecipient.
• Non-U.S. Organizations – Organizations outside the U.S. that meet the definitions of
foreign organization or foreign public entity in 2 CFR § 200.1. Non-U.S. organizations
generally propose for opportunities on a no-exchange-of-funds basis in accordance with
NASA policy. NOFOs may be issued jointly with a non-U.S. organization (e.g., those
concerning guest observing programs for jointly sponsored space science programs) that
will contain additional special guidelines for non-U.S. participants.
• State, Local, or Federally-Recognized Tribal Government Agency –
o State Government means any state of the United States, the District of Columbia,
the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, any territory or possession of the United States,
and any agency or instrumentality of a State exclusive of its local governments

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.

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-policy-and-compliance-team/#Regulations