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The Planetary Society Announces STEP Grants: Science and Technology Empowered by the Public
“Together, we’ll enable big steps in space science and exploration.”
For Immediate Release
February 01, 2021
Contact
Danielle Gunn
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +1-626-793-5100
Pasadena, CA (February 1, 2021) — The Planetary Society, the world’s largest independent space interest organization, announces a new crowdfunding program that will advance the exploration of other worlds, bolster the search for life beyond Earth, and protect our planet from dangerous asteroids.
STEP grants, or Science and Technology Empowered by the Public, add to the Society’s long history of science and technology funding and will support important research and development projects that may be overlooked or underfunded by other sources.
The program issues open, international requests for proposals for credible and significant research and hardware development projects. Funding for these projects will come from The Planetary Society’s 50,000+ members and donors.
“This is a unique opportunity for the researchers who will receive the funding and for ordinary people who want to make a direct contribution to the future of space exploration,” says Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye. “Together, we’ll enable big steps in space science and exploration.”
For this first round of STEP grants, the nominal expectation is two awards at approximately $50,000 each. Preliminary proposals are due 26 May 2021.
Press Resources
- Bruce Betts, chief scientist and director of the STEP program, is available for interviews. Please arrange with Danielle Gunn, chief communications officer, at [email protected]
- STEP Grant Request for Proposals
- More information: The Planetary Society STEP Program
About The Planetary Society
The Planetary Society is the world's largest and most influential space interest organization. Founded in 1980 by astronomer Carl Sagan with Bruce Murray and Louis Friedman of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit is led today by CEO Jenn Vaughn and championed by Chief Ambassador Bill Nye. Members and donors fund programs in science and technology, public outreach, and advocacy. This work advances the exploration of space, the search for life beyond Earth, and the defense of our planet from dangerous asteroids and comets. Learn more at planetary.org.
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