Grants for Space STEM Initiatives for Youth - 2023

Class Grant and Contribution Program to Support Research, Awareness and Learning in Space Science and Technology - Space Awareness Element

Publication date: September 15, 2022

Application deadline: October 31, 2022

3.1 Eligible Recipients

Eligible recipients will include:

• Canadian elementary, secondary and post-secondary institutions;
• Not-for-profit organizations established and operating in Canada, excluding any governmental (federal, provincial or municipal) entities or organizations.

The application should be submitted by one eligible organization which will be fully liable and the only signatory of the grant agreement.

3.2 Eligible Projects

Grants under this Program will be made towards initiatives that contribute to increase interest, knowledge and/or experience in STEM using space-related disciplines among youth (K-12) and educators.

To be eligible, the proposed projects must include the following elements:

• Activities that contribute to increase the awareness, interest, knowledge and/or experience in STEM using space-related content among youth (K-12) and educators;

Activities such as, but not limited to, the following will be considered eligible for these grants:

• development and delivery of information, materials, products, activities, and events that use the context of the Canadian Space Program to expand the scientific literacy of Canadian youth (K-12) and/or educators;
• development of activity and promotion to increase reach and impact; delivery of activity to youth (K-12) and educators;
• production, distribution and presentation of Canadian space-related information, products and materials in written, audiovisual and multi formats, for awareness purposes (e.g. virtual presentation, videos, teacher toolkit, digitization of exhibits, etc.);
• design and delivery of Canadian space-focused youth or educator workshops and hands-on activities (e.g. series of talks, virtually or in person, school programming, etc.).

Activities should to be delivered at no cost to the participants during the agreement period. For the activities planned to be offered in locations where entry or other standard fees are required, no additional cost will be charged for participation in the activities supported by the grant.

The recipients of the grants will have access to the same services that the CSA Communications and Public Affairs group offers to all Canadians, such as information on CSA activities and missions.

3.3 Links to CSA Priorities

To be eligible, projects supported under this AO must contribute to the CSA's commitment to inspiring young Canadians through space as highlighted in the Government's Space Strategy for Canada entitled "Exploration, Imagination, Innovation: A New Space Strategy for Canada".

In support of the strategy, the Canadian Space Agency invites applications for initiatives that promote space and STEM to Canada's young people, particularly to groups such as girls and Indigenous peoples or other under-represented groups in scientific and engineering careers.

Furthermore, the CSA encourages organizations to consider the needs of official language minority communities in their area while developing the activities to be proposed in the application and to strive to have official documentation and promotional material in both official languages.

3.4 Links to the Class G&C Program Objectives

To be eligible, projects supported under this AO must contribute to the achievement of at least one of the following objectives:

• To increase awareness of Canadian space science and technology by increasing the interest of Canadian youth and educators and their participation in related activities;

4.1 How to submit an application electronically

1. Download and complete the grant application form;
2. Combine the following documents into a single PDF-formatted file, in the same order as is presented below. A complete application must contain the following:
   • A completed application form signed (with handwritten or digital signature) by the duly authorized representative;
   • A proposal that complies with the guidelines outlined in Section 3 of the application form
   • The curriculum vitae for each member of the team;
   • A detailed implementation schedule for the project;
   • Declaration on Confidentiality, Access to Information Act and Privacy Act form signed by the duly authorized representative (refer to the Applicant Declaration on Confidentiality, Access to Information Act and Privacy Act section included in the application form);
   • For organizations in Quebec, M-30 Supporting Documentation form completed and signed by the duly authorized representative (refer to the M-30 form included in the application form);

   • A copy of the document(s) confirming the registration status and the legal name of the applicant (organization);

     The application must be prepared as a single PDF-formatted file containing all of the above requested documents with all security features disabled. The proposal and supporting documents must be included in the file as searchable PDF-formatted documents (PDF/A-1a or PDF/A-2a formats preferred). If there are any accessibility issues with the submitted PDF file, all consequences reside with the applicant.

     It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that the application complies with all relevant federal, provincial/territorial and municipal laws and regulations.

     The applicant must keep one hard copy of all the original documents above. The CSA may require applicants who successfully passed the evaluation stage described in Section 5 of the AO to send a hard copy of their complete application with the original documents.

3. Submit the completed application electronically:
   • Submit an account creation request or login to the Electronic Proposal Portal. Please note that Google Chrome is the browser of choice for submissions. Supported browsers are Google Chrome, and Microsoft Edge with some restrictions.
   • In the "Proposal title" field of the Electronic Proposal Portal, please use the following formatting standard: 23YSTEM-Proponent Name (Organization)-Project Title.
   • Allow up to 48 hours for the CSA to send an email confirming the account creation as well as instructions (user guide) on how to access the platform. It is strongly recommended that the account creation request be submitted no later than October 17, 2022.
   • Using the temporary password assigned by the CSA, login to the secured portal to upload protected documents.
   • Please refer to the user guide for instructions on how to securely upload documents.

Please note:

• If technical issues cannot be resolved, applicants must submit their application by mail. Applicants are strongly encouraged to upload their complete application well before the submission deadline;
• Applications must be submitted (successfully uploaded) by the applicants no later than October 31, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. (ET).
• The onus is on the applicant to ensure that their application is complete and that all documents are uploaded on the Electronic Proposal Portal within the prescribed deadline;
• The CSA is not responsible for any delays under any circumstances, and will refuse applications that are received after the stipulated deadline;
• Hand-delivered applications will not be accepted;
• Applications sent by e-mail will not be accepted;
• Applicants are asked to not send their application both electronically and by mail or courier service. If multiple applications are submitted, only the latest valid version received will be considered;
• Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Questions and answers related to this AO will be posted on the CSA website in the FAQ Section of this AO (see Section 9). The CSA will not answer questions received after October 17, 2022.

4.2 How to submit an application by mail or using a recognized courier service

The applicant is encouraged to submit their application electronically following the instructions provided in Section 4.1 of the AO. However, if the applicant is unable to submit their application electronically, please communicate with stimjeunesse-youthstem@asc-csa.gc.ca no later than October 17, 2022 to obtain instructions on how to submit a paper application by mail or using a recognized courier service.

Applications by mail or using a recognized courier service must be received at the CSA no later than October 31, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. (ET).

The onus is on the applicant to ensure that their application is complete and that all documents are received by the CSA within the prescribed deadline. The CSA is not responsible for any delays under any circumstances, and will refuse applications that are received after the stipulated deadline.

4.3 Service Standards – Complete Applications

Applicants will be notified in writing of decisions regarding their application. Selected applications will be announced on the CSA website. The CSA has set the following service standards for processing times, acknowledgement of receipt, funding decisions and payment procedures.

• Acknowledgement: The CSA's goal is to acknowledge receipt of application within maximum two (2) weeks of receiving the completed application package.
• Decision: The CSA's goal is to respond to the proponent within fourteen (14) weeks of the AO's closing date and to send a grant agreement for signature within four (4) weeks after formal approval of the proposal.
• Payment: The CSA's goal is to issue payment within four (4) weeks of the successful fulfillment of the requirements outlined in the grant agreement.

Compliance with these service standards is a shared responsibility. Applicants must submit all required documentation in a timely manner. Service standards may vary by Announcement of Opportunity.

5.1 Eligibility Criteria

Applications must satisfy the following eligibility criteria:

• Represents an eligible recipient as defined in Section 3.1;
• Represents an eligible project as defined in Sections 3.2, 3.3 and 3.4.

5.2 Evaluation Criteria

The table below shows the definition and a breakdown of all the evaluation criteria, which are further described in Annex A. Applicants should address each criterion in their application. Please note that an application must receive an overall minimum score of 60 and achieve the minimum specified thresholds for each criterion to be considered for funding.

5.3 Evaluation Process

Only applications that have passed the eligibility assessment listed in Section 5.1 will be given further consideration.

Once the eligibility criteria are confirmed, evaluators will assess the screened applications according to the criteria listed in Section 5.2. Evaluators shall be experts in the fields relevant to the applications and may include representatives of Canada and other countries, and representatives of other government and non-government agencies and organizations. If applicable, a multidisciplinary evaluation committee will be formed when applications from several different disciplines are competing in order to provide a uniform final score and ranking of proposals.

Before a final decision is made, the CSA's Program Manager responsible for this AO may seek input and advice from other organizations, including (but not limited to) federal, provincial, territorial and municipal government agencies and organizations.

For the final selection, the CSA will consider the applicants having the highest final scores. The CSA could also take into consideration factors linked to priorities of the Governmentsuch as, but not limited to, the representativeness of the following underrepresented groups in STEM: girls, Indigenous, youth from socio-economically disadvantaged communities, members of a visible minority.

6.1 Available Funding and Duration

The total maximum funding available for grants for this AO opening is as follows:

• 2023-2024: $280K

The total maximum funding amount given per project will be $50,000, over a maximum period of one year.

Each eligible recipient can be funded for one (1) project under this AO.

The CSA reserves the right to reject any proposals or reduce the amount of the grants at its entire discretion.

Approved proposals will be eligible for a total amount of government assistance (federal, provincial, territorial and municipal) of up to 100% of total project costs.

To determine the amount of funding to be allocated, consideration will be given to the availability of CSA funds, the total cost of the project, and the other confirmed sources of funds provided by other stakeholders and the applicant.

Applicants must identify all sources of funding in their applications and confirm this information in a funding agreement if the project is selected for funding. Upon completion of a project, the recipient must also disclose all sources of funding.

6.2 Eligible Costs

Eligible costs are direct expenses that are associated with the delivery of the approved project and that are required to achieve the expected results of the project. Expenses will be covered subject to the applicant signing a funding agreement, in the form of a grant, with the CSA. Eligible costs for grants under this AO are the following:

• Accommodation and meal allowances
• Acquisition, development and printing of materials
• Acquisition or rental of equipment
• Consultant services
• License and permit fees
• Launching services
• Marketing and printing services
• Materials and supplies (e.g. to support the funded project, to adapt existing facilities to host space-related exhibits or activities, to ship materials, etc.)
• Participation fees at conferences, committees and events
• Registration fees
• Publication and communication services (e.g. digitalization services of exhibitions), event program development, etc.)
• Registration fees
• Salaries and benefits (e.g. to deliver activities, deliver school visit program, etc.)
• Translation services
• Travel
• Overhead (administrative) costs (not to exceed 10% of eligible costs)
• PST, HST and GST net of any rebate to which the recipient is entitled and the reimbursement of any taxes for goods and services acquired in a foreign country net of any rebate or reimbursement received in the foreign country

7.1 Payments

The CSA and each successful Applicant (the recipient) will sign a funding agreement. This is a condition for any payment made by the CSA with respect to the approved project.

Payments will be made in a lump sum or instalments as described in the signed agreement. Grant funding agreements will include a clause stipulating the recipient's obligation to confirm—once a year in the case of multi-year agreements—their eligibility for the G&C Program – Awareness Component and inform the CSA in writing of any changes to the conditions used in determining their eligibility for this component.

7.2 Audit

The recipient of a funding agreement shall keep proper records of all documentation related to the funded project, for the duration of the project and for six (6) years after the completion date of the project, in the event of an audit. This documentation shall be available upon request.

7.3 Conflict of Interest

In the funding agreement, the recipient will certify that any current or former public office holder or public servant it employs complies with the provisions of the relevant Conflict of Interest and Post-Employment Code for Public Office Holders and the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector respectively.

7.4 Intellectual Property

All intellectual property developed by the recipient in the course of the project shall vest in the recipient.

7.5 Organizations in Quebec

An organization in Quebec whose operations are partially or fully funded by the province of Quebec may be subject to the Act Respecting the Ministère du Conseil exécutif, R.S.Q., Chapter M-30.

Under Sections 3.11 and 3.12 of this Act, certain entities/organizations, as defined in the meaning of the Act, such as municipal bodies, school bodies, or public agencies, must obtain authorization from the Secrétariat du Québec aux relations canadiennes (SQRC), as indicated by the Act, before signing any funding agreement with the Government of Canada, its departments or agencies, or a federal public agency.

Consequently, any entity that is subject to the Act is responsible for obtaining such authorization before signing any funding agreement with the Government of Canada.

Quebec applicants must complete, sign and include the M-30 Supporting Documentation form with their application.

7.6 Performance Measurement

The CSA will ask the recipients to report on certain aspects of their projects such as:

• Reach and engagement
  • Number of Canadian youth (K-12) reached and actively engaged
    • Number of under-represented youth (girls, Indigenous, youth from socio-economically disadvantaged communities, members of a visible minority)
  • Number of activities held
  • Percentage of youth engaged through space STEM activities who indicate, after activity completion, that they would like to participate in a similar space-STEM focused activities again
• Collaboration
  • Use of partnerships to engage with the target audience – number of partnerships
  • Partners' contributions, if applicable.

1. Depth of Canadian space science and/or technology content

• Maximum: 25
• Minimum: 10

This criterion will be used to evaluate

• the level of Canadian content in the development of the activity, such as but not limited to examples, analogies or data related to Canadian space missions, space science and/or technologies
• the relevance of the proposed activity to the CSA priority space topics in Moon exploration and the new space station program Gateway (robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), health, nutrition, lunar rovers missions) and their link with STEM.

Poor (Score: 0)

The content related to space is very limited and has no links to any Canadian space mission, science or technologies.

Average (Score: 10)

The content is space related, but limited or no description of Canadian content included in the activity and limited link with science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM). The proposed activity/ content is not related to the Moon exploration.

Good (Score: 20)

Links between the activity content and Canadian space missions, science or technologies are mentioned and moderately demonstrated. The activity content is related to one of the CSA priority topics in Moon exploration (robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), health and nutrition, lunar rovers) and the links with science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) are clearly described.

Excellent (Score: 25)

The activity content is strongly based on a Canadian space mission, science or technology and it is clearly demonstrated. It is related to one or several CSA priority topics in Moon explorations (robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), health, nutrition, lunar rovers) and has clear links with science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM).

2. Knowledge transfer mechanism

• Maximum: 20
• Minimum: 7

This criterion will be used to evaluate

• to which extent the proposed content includes original, innovative, proven concepts or delivery methods that increase the activities' attractiveness and impact;
• the proposed content adaptability to different youth ability levels, learning types, and pre-activity knowledge, and how the activity will be tested and enhanced
• the technical and materials requirements to deliver the activity

Poor (Score: 0)

The proposed activity has no original or innovative concepts or methods and there is no proven evidence of attractiveness. No adaptability to different characteristics of the target group is described. No testing or review is planned to enhance the activity before delivery. No technical requirements are presented.

Average (Score: 7)

The proposed activity is based on existing concepts and methods with limited success demonstrated in reaching and increasing youth interest. The adaptability to different characteristics of the target groups (ability levels, learning/teaching types, pre-activity knowledge, age appropriateness) is limited and/or requires substantial additional work/effort from the educators. Technical and material requirements are mentioned but there are not enough details to assess the coherence with the planned activity and the target group.

Good (Score: 15)

The proposed activity contains elements of originality and attractiveness with high chances to attract youth interest and to be adopted by educators. The proposal presents how the content and methods may be adapted to different characteristics of the target group (ability levels, learning/teaching types, pre-activity knowledge, age appropriateness) and includes the description of the educator supporting material. Minimal testing or review is planned before the delivery. Technical and materials requirements are presented and they are coherent with the activity and target groups.

Excellent (Score: 20)

The proposed activity is clearly original and attractive, and has elements that stand out from classical approaches and thus it has high chances to attract youth interest and to be adopted by educators. The proposal clearly presents how the content and methods used are adapted to different characteristics of the target group (ability levels, learning/teaching types, pre-activity knowledge, age appropriateness) and includes detailed description of the educator supporting material that will be developed. A pilot session, focus group or review is planned before the delivery. Technical and materials requirements are described in detail and they are coherent with the activity and the target group.

3. Feasibility

• Maximum: 20
• Minimum: 7

This criterion will be used to evaluate

• the clarity and completeness of the project objectives
• the coherence of the activity's scope, timeline, resources allocation and deliverables described in the project plan
• the experience of the organization in successful managing similar projects

Poor (Score: 0)

The project objectives are very poorly defined, and there is no coherence between scope, resource allocations, timelines, resources and final deliverables in the project plan.

Average (Score: 7)

The project objectives are defined, but they are lacking clarity and details to prove that they are achievable, relevant and time-oriented. The project plan is realistic, but there is a weak coherence between some elements, such as scope, work breakdown, timeline, deliverables. The proponent has very limited experience in delivering similar projects.

Good (Score: 15)

The objectives are well defined, and they are presented with details to prove that they are achievable, relevant and time-oriented. The project plan is realistic, and coherent in most of its elements. The organization has demonstrated some experience in delivering similar projects.

Excellent (Score: 20)

The objectives are very well defined, and they are presented with many details to prove that they are achievable, relevant and time-oriented. Many details are provided in a coherent project plan regarding, in particular, the scope, breakdown of the work, scheduled milestones, and the organization of team members' time to carry out the project, deliverables. The organization has clearly demonstrated experience in successfully delivering similar projects.

4. Resources

• Maximum: 20
• Minimum: 7

This criterion will be used to evaluate:

• the expertise and experience of the proposed team in youth (K-12) STEM activities, and how these will effectively contribute to the success of this project
• duties and responsibilities assigned to each project team member are consistent with each member's experience and expertise
• the budget and the other resources
• access to additional in-kind or cash funding sources and resources

Poor (Score: 0)

The project team members do not have any experience and/or expertise in carrying out K-12 STEM activities. The duties and responsibilities are briefly presented. The budget is not realistic or not aligned with the AO limits.

Average (Score: 7)

The project team members have limited experience in developing K-12 STEM activities. The team lacks expertise in some key areas that are required for their duties and responsibilities. The budget appears to be adequate for the proposed work but very brief or no rationale for each item is provided. No other financial or in-kind contribution is presented.

Good (Score: 15)

The project team members have demonstrated experience in developing K-12 STEM activities. The team is made up of experts with a variety of relevant expertise, which includes space expertise related to the activity. The budget appears to be adequate and reasonable and detailed rationale is provided for most budget items. The applicant plans to have a financial or in-kind contribution from at least one other source.

Excellent (Score: 20)

The project team members have considerable demonstrated experience in developing K-12 STEM activities. The team is made up of experts, and there is clear complementarity between them. The project demonstrates access to expertise in the activity's space topic. The budget appears to be adequate and reasonable for all components of the proposed work and a credible rationale is provided for all budget items. The physical resources and infrastructure required to achieve the project's goals and objectives are identified and supported by rationales. The applicant plans to have a financial or in-kind contribution from other sources.

5. Results and sustainability

• Maximum: 15
• Minimum: 5

This criterion will be used to evaluate:

• activity reach amongst target group
• activity results measurement
• promotional plan
• sustainability beyond CSA funding agreement

Poor (Score: 0)

The expected reach and level of engagement with youth are low relative to the project scope. No process to measure the results is presented. There is no evidence presented to support a continuation of the proposed activities after the termination of the CSA grant.

Average (Score: 5)

The expected reach and level of engagement with youth are reasonably balanced with respect to the project scope. Processes to measure some results are presented. The promotional plan is presented very briefly, with limited description of the target audience or channels. The project presents a very brief plan, but no credible evidence is provided to support a continuation of the activities after the termination of the CSA grant.

Good (Score: 12)

The expected reach is acceptable and level of engagement with youth is high relative to the project scope. Processes to measure most of the results are presented. The promotional plan is well presented and describes a few approaches to reach the target audiences. There are some evidence presented to support a possible continuation of the activities after the termination of the CSA grant, such as long term plan and outcomes, resources identification and allocation, partnerships, but the availability of resources is not confirmed.

Excellent (Score: 15)

The expected reach and level of engagement with youth are very high relative to the project scope. The processes to measure the results are presented. The promotional plan is presented in detail and clearly describes approaches to reach the target audiences, intended channels and expected reach. There is a very strong and credible plan to continue after the termination of the CSA funding, with credible resources availability.