The NISE Network has offered a variety of mini-grants, stipends, and fellowship programs to partners as components of different projects to support local efforts in communities across the United States. Many of these efforts have included a combination of professional development support and financial assistance to implement local projects. Each of these programs has had their own goals, applicant eligibility, and selection process.
Below is a brief summary of past programs.
Please note that future opportunities will be listed at: https://www.nisenet.org/gettingstarted
Sustainability Fellowships (2019-2022)
- About:
Through the Sustainability Fellowship program, staff at around 180 museums participated in a series of online workshops to develop a sustainability-related project at their organization while developing relationships with a broader community of practice. - Resources:
A compilation of sustainability public engagement and professional learning resources
https://www.nisenet.org/sustainability-resources - Learn more:
https://www.nisenet.org/sustainability-fellowship - Project:
Sustainability in Science and Technology Museums https://www.nisenet.org/sustainability
Earth & Space Project-Based Professional Learning Community (2021-2022)
- About:
The Earth & Space Project-Based Professional Learning Community 2021-2022 supported 100 museums and science centers across the U.S. in their efforts to make Earth & Space science relevant and inclusive for their local communities. - Resources:
Making Earth & Space Science More Relevant and Inclusive resources - Learn more:
Earth & Space Project-Based Professional Learning Community - Project:
Space and Earth Informal STEM Education (SEISE) project
Howtosmile At-Home Activities (2020-2022)
- About:
NISE Network partner museums created a new At-Home Activities Framework and a collection of over 300 at-home activities to help museums engage their communities virtually. - Resources:
- Project:
https://www.nisenet.org/howtosmile-at-home-activities
Citizen Science, Civics, and Resilient Communities (2020-2021)
- About:
Forums and citizen science projects about resilience planning related to heat waves, sea level rise, extreme precipitation, and drought. Over twenty sites were awarded stipends to participate. - Resources:
- Project:
https://www.nisenet.org/CSCRC
Building with Biology Forum Stipends (2016-2017)
- About:
Stipends were offered to museum partners to host forums designed to help museum and scientist partners engage public audiences in conversations about the field of synthetic biology and the ways this emerging technology is interconnected with society. Additionally, more than thirty locations were awarded stipends for hosting the Editing Our Evolution: Rewriting the Human Genome forum. - Resources:
- Building with Biology hands-on activities, forums, and professional learning resources: https://www.nisenet.org/building-with-biology-kit
- "Should We Engineer the Mosquito?" Forum: https://www.nisenet.org/catalog/should-we-engineer-mosquito-forum
- Should We Edit the Genome? forum: https://www.nisenet.org/catalog/should-we-edit-genome-forum
- Editing Our Evolution: Rewriting the Human Genome forum: https://www.nisenet.org/catalog/editing-our-evolution-rewriting-human-genome-forum
- Forums resources: https://www.nisenet.org/forums
- Learn more:
- Project:
https://www.nisenet.org/building-with-biology
Nanoscale Science Mini-grants (2011-2015)
- About:
The purpose of these mini-grant awards was to support initiatives by NISE Network partners to engage their local public audiences in nanoscale science, engineering, and technology topics. Eligible activities included: 1) New efforts to integrate nano into existing programming, 2) New efforts to reach new audiences with nano programming (including traditionally under-served or under-represented audiences), and 3) New partnerships between museums and nano researchers, community-based organizations, or diversity serving organizations. - Resources:
NanoDays: https://www.nisenet.org/nanodays
Explore Science: Zoom into Nano: https://www.nisenet.org/explorescience-nano - Project:
https://www.nisenet.org/nano