Strategic Planning Grants for Academies

NAAS is offering technical assistance for State Academies of Science to do Strategic Planning. These grants are intended to serve dues-paying member Academies that are ready to plan and build capacity to do more in their state. We will provide preliminary resources to coach you through how to reach your goals. For example, if you don’t have staff, how do you get there? If your annual budget is small, how can you build it?


Description of the Award:

In 2025, NAAS is making 5 awards of $10,000 for Strategic Planning. We expect full board participation in the process. Awards also include travel for one representative from your Academy to attend the National Council of State Legislators Conference (Boston, August 2025).

We provide staffing to facilitate Strategic Planning for your board (and staff) during 2025, including one in-person visit. Meetings will be a combination of virtual + one in-person visit per awardee. NAAS will provide services through our own contracted service providers with experience in Strategic Planning with academies of science and related scientific organizations. Grant awards cover travel for one in-person Strategic Planning visit.


Grantee responsibilities

  • Grantees will sign an agreement with NAAS
  • Grantees need to assemble your board for at least one in-person session
  • Grantees are responsible for local accommodations & per diem expenses for a facilitator for your in-person Strategic Planning session
  • Board & staff (if you have staff) participate in NAAS coaching calls and Academy Chats
  • One representative from your Academy will to travel to the National Conference of State Legislators Summit in Boston August 2025
  • Submit a Final report at the end of your planning process
  • Implement your plan! NAAS and your community of Academies are here to help you after the grant is over


Timeline

The anticipated timeline for your Strategic Planning process is from April-November 2025. If you have constraints or concerns or opportunities around this timeline please let us know in your application.

Feb. 21, 2025 - Info session for Academies
March 15, 2025 - Application Deadline. NAAS Member Services Committee reviews applications and makes recommendations to the NAAS Board April 2
April 15, 2025 - Awards announced. Awardees sign grant agreements
Strategic Planning underway
August 4-6, 2025 - NCSL Summit in Boston
November 30, 2025 - Final reports due

NAAS Criteria for Selecting Awardees

  • Expressed interest by your Board of Directors to engage in strategic planning.
  • Expressed need for additional resources due to circumstances such as needing a new strategic plan, recent staffing changes or financial challenges
  • Preference will go to Academies with Annual Budgets < $75,000
  • Preference will go to Academies with no staff who express interest in hiring staff
  • Academies with representation on the NAAS board are eligible, if they meet the above criteria and if there is a leader in the organization other than the board member, who is the point person on the strategic planning process
  • Academies must be current in their NAAS dues (can be renewed up to application date)
  • Preference for Academies involved in current NAAS programs (e.g. attended at least one event in the past year)
  • Interest by a Board of Directors in exploring options for an academy to engage in science policy advising, including models such as 
  1. The Science and Technology Policy Fellows programs emerging in many states
  2. Academies with a policy advising function, such as those in CT, WA, and VASEM
  3. In-state programs started by national organizations such as AAAS and Sigma Xi
  4. Connecting with alumni and participants of programs such as Science and Technology Policy Fellows, and the National Science Policy Network (NSPN)


Apply Here

You will be able to save your application in progress and return to it.


This grant program is funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.






Other Benefits and Resources

Outside of the strategic planning grants, coaching calls are also available for every Affiliated Academy of Science (2 each throughout the year). Contact admin@academiesofscience.org to schedule yours!

Check out our Toolkits for Academies








Join the NAAS Informational Session on the Strategic Planning Grants on Friday, February 21 at 3:30pm ET. 

Register