Science

NASA’s FY 2026 Annual Performance Plan and Evaluation Plan (APPEP) located at URL https://www.nasa.gov/ocfo/performance-report/ describes the Agency’s Performance Goals, including the underlying milestone targets, consistent with the FY 2025 Operating Plan and FY 2026 President’s Budget Request. As noted on page 2 of the APPEP, “NASA will develop a new mission statement and make more significant changes to its performance framework as part of the forthcoming 2026 NASA Strategic Plan.” Historically, The Science Mission Directorate (SMD) pursues NASA's strategic objectives, particularly Strategic Goal 1: “Expand Human Knowledge through new Scientific Discoveries”, using aircraft, balloon, and spaceflight programs to enable the execution of both remote-sensing and in-situ investigations. Investigations in Earth orbit, as well as to or even beyond objects in the Solar System, and through ground-based research activities that directly support these space missions. SMD also supports basic and applied research and technology in order to understand naturally occurring space and Earth phenomena, human-induced changes in the Earth system, and to develop Earth and space science-related technologies. In March 2022 NASA released a new Strategic Plan. Per that 2022 plan
SMD’s Assistance Listing aligns to this Goal Statement: “NASA’s enduring purpose is scientific discovery and exploration for the benefit of the United States and all of humanity. NASA seeks to discover the secrets of the universe, search for life elsewhere, and protect and improve life on Earth and in space. Finding answers to these profound science questions requires support for national priorities in science and exploration, enhancing new opportunities for cross-disciplinary science, and expanding the societal benefits of our science programs. It also requires continued progress on the scientific priorities, including those identified by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine through their decadal surveys.”

SMD uses NASA's Strategic Goals and Objectives and the high-level objectives that flow from them as the performance component to its research grant program notices of funding opportunity. The high-level objectives are derived from “Decadal Surveys” created by the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) every ten years and reviewed every five years. NASEM reports summarize the state of the performance for SMD’s science awards. Decadal Surveys inform the NASA’s strategic and SMD science plan and allow grant programs to be kept up to date rather than be completely reliant on agency produced program goals and objectives and performance measures. SMD’s research awardees individually set appropriate, NASA-relevant project level objectives, goals and measures.

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. 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 . However, FFRDCs sponsored by agencies other than NASA may be eligible to receive a NASAfunded
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

SMD uses the general award processes and procedures published in the Grant and Cooperative Agreement Manual (GCAM). The individual NOFO will provide any updates or deviations from this document.

Approval and review procedures are outlined in the NASA Grant and Cooperative Agreement Manual (GCAM) and the applicable NOFO. For additional information or clarification, applicants should contact the Point of Contact listed in the NOFO.