Civic Innovation Challenge | 24 534

Opportunity Information: Apply for 24 534

The Civic Innovation Challenge (CIVIC) is a National Science Foundation-led research and action competition focused on getting advanced research and emerging technologies out of the lab and into real communities, quickly and in a way that can be measured. The core idea is civic-engaged research: communities and researchers work side by side to identify high-priority local problems that also show up across the country, then co-design and pilot practical solutions. Projects are expected to be rooted in maturing, state-of-the-art research across fields such as computer science, engineering, geosciences, biological sciences, and the social sciences, with an emphasis on transitioning innovations into real-world use rather than stopping at prototypes or papers.

CIVIC is structured to change the usual "university drives, community receives" model by treating civic partners as equal drivers of the work. It asks teams to move on a short timeline and demonstrate real outcomes within a 12-month pilot period. Another defining feature is that proposals must be built around coalitions: multiple civic partners and a multidisciplinary research team are expected to co-create the project, carry it out together, and evaluate what worked and what did not. In addition, CIVIC intentionally connects teams nationally through "communities of practice" organized around shared problem areas, so lessons, methods, and tools can be exchanged across sites instead of each project operating in isolation.

This solicitation includes two topic tracks. Track A focuses on climate and environmental instability, with an emphasis on building resilient communities through co-design, adaptation, and mitigation. Track B focuses on bridging gaps between essential resources and services and what communities actually need, targeting practical mismatches in access, delivery, and responsiveness. Across both tracks, the work must be grounded in US-based civic partnership and engagement; the communities and all academic and civic partners must be located in the United States or its protectorates. CIVIC uses a broad definition of civic partners, including local, state, or tribal government officials, nonprofit representatives, community organizers and advocates, community service providers, and others directly involved in improving community conditions.

Funding is awarded through a two-stage process. Stage 1 consists of planning grants, with about 35 to 40 awards anticipated. Each planning award can be up to $75,000 for a six-month period and is meant for team formation and strengthening, clarifying the community priorities, refining and maturing the technical approach, establishing project governance and partnerships, and producing a well-developed full proposal for Stage 2. Only teams that receive a Stage 1 planning grant are eligible to apply for Stage 2, which is the full implementation phase.

Stage 2 is the pilot implementation and evaluation phase, with about 20 full awards expected. Stage 2 proposals can request up to $1,000,000 for up to 12 months. These proposals must explain in concrete terms how the team will execute the research-centered pilot in the community and how results will be evaluated, with an eye toward both lasting impact in the partner community and transferability to other places. Throughout both stages, the MetroLab Network (as the NSF award recipient supporting this effort) provides structure for the communities of practice through virtual and in-person activities intended to strengthen capacity-building, collaboration, networking, and the development of solutions that can scale or be adapted elsewhere.

The opportunity is jointly supported by multiple NSF directorates, including Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), Engineering (ENG), Geosciences (GEO), Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE), and Biological Sciences (BIO), along with federal partners at the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The award instrument is a discretionary grant, and the opportunity sits in the science and technology research and development category. The listed funding opportunity number is 24-534, with an award ceiling of $1,000,000 and an expected total of roughly 60 awards across both stages.

Eligible applicants are limited to two main categories: US-based nonprofit, non-academic organizations directly tied to educational or research activities (such as independent museums, observatories, research labs, and professional societies), and accredited US institutions of higher education, including both two-year and four-year colleges (community colleges included). If a proposal involves funding for an international branch campus of a US institution (including through subawards or consultants), the applicant must clearly explain why that overseas activity is necessary, what benefit it brings, and why the work cannot be done at the US campus. There are no restrictions on who may serve as principal investigator. The original closing date listed for this solicitation was May 1, 2024.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Civic Innovation Challenge" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.041, 47.050, 47.070, 47.074, 47.075, 81.049, 97.108.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-01-31.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-05-01. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 60 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for 24 534

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