TCU Building Bridges Grant
TCU Building Bridges Grant
The American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC), in partnership with The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), is excited to announce The TCU Building Bridges Grant Program, a Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) grant-funding opportunity that is being made available exclusively to Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs).
Specifically, grants of up to $68,600 will be awarded to TCUs that prepare, respond, and are selected for funding. It is NASA’s hope that the Building Bridges Grant program funding will enhance the ability of TCUs to provide high quality STEM education programs and increase participation in collaborative STEM research initiatives, resulting in a well-prepared American Indian and Alaskan Native NASA STEM workforce.
Specifically, the grant is designed to provide funds to improve infrastructure, update academic program content, student research opportunities, faculty professional development, bridging activities, and other initiatives to support TCU efforts to develop and enhance their STEM programs. Priority areas for support will include, but are not necessarily limited to:
- Research opportunities for undergraduate students
- STEM program instrumentation/equipment acquisitions
- Course and curriculum enhancements (new courses, delivery support technologies)
- Professional development for TCU faculty, including conferences and workshops
- In-person meetings with NASA researchers and engineers available for collaborative projects
- Other activities that increase TCU students’ interest and engagement in STEM fields, at the elementary, high school and undergraduate level, including participation in STEM enrichment activities, conferences, workshops and competitions If awarded, grantees will also receive ongoing technical assistance from both AIHEC as well as NASA to support project success.
If you are interested in learning more about the TCU STEM grant launch and potentially applying for an upcoming cycle, we strongly encourage you to register for our webinars and complete the pre-application form.
The Tribal College and University Building Bridges Grant Program Selects Second Cohort of Awardees
TCU Building Bridges Grant Program Selects First Cohort
Links to Webinar Registration and Supporting Media:
- WORKSHOP 1: Information Session Webinar: May 29, 2025 (3-4pm ET): INFORMATION SESSION: This Workshop will provide an overview of this grant opportunity, key dates, and information for future workshops along with a review of AIHEC’s TCU Building Bridges webpage.
Information Session PowerPoint
- WORKSHOP 2: Community of Practice Webinar: June 5, 2025 (3-4pm ET): We will provide an overview of the RFP; review the TCU Building Bridges webpage, resources, tools, etc. and review the pre-application process.
Community of Practice PowerPoint
- WORKSHOP 3: Building a Competitive Proposal Webinar: June 11, 2025 (3-4pm ET). Review the RFP section-by-section and its required elements and level of detail, providing examples and shared proposal ‘best practices’.
Building a Competitive Proposal PowerPoint
- WORKSHOP 4: Budget Development Webinar: June 25, 2025 (3-4pm ET): Review elements of the budget table and budget narrative with examples; discussed Indirect and Direct costs; reviewed budget guidelines and funding restrictions; reviewed Scoring Rubric; Reviewed project goals and Priority areas for support; shared best practices for writing a proposal.
- Final Workshop – Office Hours Open Forum. July 9, 2025 (3-4pm ET). JOIN HERE (OPTIONAL)
Proposals Due: July 14, 2025, at 11:59 PM Eastern Time
DOCUMENTS AND TEMPLATES
Pre-Application Submission to
BuildingBridges@aihec.org (Deadline 06/13/2025)
NASA Building Bridges Resource Bank
Please visit any of the following pages to learn more about NASA, research, funding opportunities, and careers.
NASA STEM Engagement Resources:
- NASA MUREP for American Indian Alaska Native STEM Engagement (MAIANSE)
- Apply for internships
- Office of STEM Engagement Website
- NASA Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) Exchange
- NASA Office of STEM Newsletter
- NASA Space Grant
- NASA Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR)
- NASA Next Gen STEM for K-12 Educators
NASA Funding Opportunities:
- NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES)
- NASA Office of STEM Engagement – Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) Funding Opportunities
- Astrobiology Funding Opportunities
- NASA Science Mission Directorate Funding Opportunities
- NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate
- NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) Solicitations
- Applied Sciences Indigenous People’s Initiative
- NASA Earth Equity and Environmental Justice