The American Astronomical Society (AAS) Solar Eclipse Task Force invites proposals for small grants to fund programs, activities, and events that will engage the public with the April 8, 2024, solar eclipse across North America. Priority will be given to programs specifically designed to engage meaningfully in eclipse education, outreach, and science activities with under-represented groups (URGs; including women/girls, ethnic minorities, and people with physical and/or mental disabilities) who often don't imagine themselves in science careers or who believe that science is “not for them.”
This program, funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), is named for the late Jay M. Pasachoff, a charter member of the AAS Solar Eclipse Task Force. After completing his education at Harvard University and Caltech, Jay spent the next 50 years as a professor of astronomy at Williams College in Massachusetts. Among his primary research interests were the heating and dynamics of the Sun's corona, which he studied at solar eclipses all across the planet. He was deeply devoted to advancing astronomy education and the public's understanding of science, bringing students on his eclipse expeditions, writing best-selling astronomy textbooks, and authoring numerous popular books, magazine articles, and opinion pieces in major newspapers.
We anticipate making 20 to 30 awards in the standard range $1,000 to $5,000 and a smaller number of awards in the augmented range $5,001 to $20,000. If you seek one of the augmented mini-grants, you must pay special attention to your budget justification. Legitimate reasons for applying for one of these larger awards include, but are not limited to, the large scale of a proposed program, activity, or event (e.g., the large size of the audience to be reached); the need for expensive equipment to achieve the objective of a proposed science experiment; and the high cost of professional services to be engaged in producing an app, a software product, or a program for radio, TV, or other broadcast.
Proposals were due by 5:00 pm Eastern time on Friday, November 10, 2023. As the deadline has now passed, we are no longer taking proposal submissions.
View the Awardees & Projects View the Call for Proposals (Closed)