The U.S. National Science Foundation is an independent federal agency that supports science and engineering in all 50 states and U.S. territories. NSF was established in 1950 by Congress to promote the progress of science, advance the national health, prosperity and welfare, and secure the national defense.
The Civic Innovation Challenge (CIVIC) is a research and action competition designed to facilitate the translation of foundational research and emerging technologies into practical applications within communities through civic-engaged research. By focusing on local-scale priorities that hold national relevance, CIVIC aims to foster a wider and more dynamic interaction between research capabilities and civic objectives through collaborative efforts that include both civic partners and the research community. The program supports projects that deploy cutting-edge solutions to tackle community challenges, with an emphasis on those that demonstrate the potential for sustainable impact within the partner community and scalability to other areas. Projects should be built upon advancing state-of-the-art research across various fields such as computer science, engineering, geosciences, biological sciences, and social sciences.
CIVIC reverses the traditional community-university dynamic by encouraging communities and researchers to collaboratively identify and address civic innovation opportunities as equal partners. It prioritizes research-centric solutions that are ready for short-term piloting within communities, necessitates a coalition of civic partners and multi-disciplinary researchers to co-develop and implement pilot projects, and promotes the creation of nationwide "communities of practice" focused on addressing critical issues, enhancing knowledge exchange, and facilitating collaboration both before and during project implementation. This initiative encompasses two tracks: Track A focuses on Climate and Environmental Instability, aiming to foster resilient communities through co-design, adaptation, and mitigation strategies; Track B targets the reduction of disparities in access to essential resources and services to meet community needs.
CIVIC is structured as a two-stage competition. Stage 1 awards up to $75,000 for planning and team development over six months, leading to a Stage 2 competition where approximately 20 Full Awards of up to $1,000,000 for 12 months will be granted for the execution and evaluation of pilot projects. Only Stage 1 awardees are eligible for Stage 2, ensuring that projects are thoroughly developed and poised for impactful implementation.