Join the cross-sector national movement inspiring the next generation of girls and young women to become STEM innovators.
IF/THEN® Gender Equity Grant funding has ended.
Below you will find the archived Funding Announcement.
With support from Lyda Hill Philanthropies and the IF/THEN® Initiative, ASTC is awarding Gender Equity Engagement Grants to museums, public libraries, science centers, zoos, aquariums, public gardens, and other cultural institutions across the United States to install ready-to-go displays that promote equitable gender representation in STEM. These installations, found in the IF/THEN® Project Library are highly visual and feature photos and videos that center women and gender minorities. Grantees can easily choose and customize the project to best suit their needs.
Overview
Grantees will receive up to $4,000 to install a display from the IF/THEN® Project Library with an option to customize the displays or integrate them into a larger gender equity-focused exhibit. Displays should be large and visual, including components such as banners, exhibit panels, posters, video screens, or other large-format displays that are placed in high-traffic areas of the institution and/or used as a key element of outreach events.
The IF/THEN® Project Library highlights projects developed by previous recipients of IF/THEN® Gender Equity Grants. An instructional PDF accompanies each project and outlines modifications, suggestions for implementation, and other helpful information.
Additional Partnership Support Opportunity
In addition, ASTC will award grantees up to $2,000 to foster a community partnership to engage local youth with their chosen project and/or assets from the IF/THEN® Collection, a growing digital library of photos, videos, and other media featuring women in STEM fields. Partners should be community-based, youth-serving organizations. Requests for partnership support will be evaluated on depth of engagement and audience reach.
Timeline
- Apply by January 17, 2023 (application accepted and approved on a rolling basis).
- Within two weeks of applying, receive notification of award.
- Install visual display by March 17, 2023.
- Submit brief project report by March 17, 2023.
Eligibility
Museums, public libraries, science centers, zoos, aquariums, public gardens, and other cultural institutions located in the United States, including territories and tribal lands, as defined by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, are eligible to apply. Applicants do not need to be ASTC members! Organizations that have previously received more than $5,000 in IF/THEN® Gender Equity Grant funding are not eligible.
Project Requirements
- Primary visual installation and optional additional project components must be chosen from the IF/THEN® Project Library.
- At least one large visual component must be included.
- This could include banners, exhibit panels, posters, video screens, or other large format displays placed in high-traffic areas of the institution and/or used as a key element of outreach events.
- Primary project deliverables must be viewable in person. Projects may not be web-based only.
- Projects must highlight at least one person from the list of AAAS IF/THEN® Ambassadors—high-profile role models for girls and young women in STEM fields. Note: all projects in the library feature at least one Ambassador!
- All visual installations must be displayed for at least six months.
Proposal Requirements
- A brief narrative detailing how you will use the project(s) from the IF/THEN® Project Library, including any modifications you will make (suggested: 200-300 words; 800-word maximum).
- A simple project budget with funding requests reasonable for the scope of work (Indirect costs are not allowable, see the Budget section below for more details).
- A basic project timeline showing significant milestones.
Grantee Requirements
All grantees will be required to:
- Plan media engagement (blog posts, news articles, social media posts, etc.) to tell the public about your project.
- Submit a brief report by March 17, 2023. ASTC will provide a template for the report and the following information must be included:
- A short description (suggested: 200-300 words; 500-word maximum) of the project activities.
- Photos of the completed visual display.
- General estimates of the number of months your project will be on display and the number of people who will view your project.
Review Process
Applications for Engagement Grants will be reviewed on a rolling basis by ASTC and IF/THEN® Initiative staff. Selected organizations will be notified within two weeks of applying. This program aims to serve a diversity of organizations in terms of institution size, type, geography, and other aspects.
Requests for partnership support funding will be evaluated with consideration toward depth of engagement and audience reach. Engagement Grants may still be awarded even if a request for partnership support funding is declined.
Budget
Applicants will be required to provide a basic project budget. Project budgets must be reasonable for the scope of work and must include:
- Name for each expense category (e.g., supplies, staff time, printing, partnership support)
- Total amount of each category
- Brief explanation of expenses included in each category
Allowable expenses include, but are not limited to:
- Materials
- Production costs
- Staff time directly related to producing and implementing project deliverables
Grant funds may not be used for:
- Indirect charges/administrative overhead
- Capital expenditures
- Alcoholic beverages
- Computer hardware that is not for public use (e.g., servers, computers for staff)
- Admission fees
- Purchase of stock photos
If programmatic components are included in your project plan, they should be provided at no cost to participants. Programs that are free with paid admission are acceptable.
Submit an Application
Thinking of applying? You should! Follow the link below to submit your grant application. You will be prompted to log in to your myASTC account to access the application. If you do not already have an account, you can create one for free.
Watch our webinar recording
While this webinar took place in April 2022, it shares rich examples of real grant projects. Application due dates have since been changed.