Applications open October 20–November 20, 2026. Research!America’s 2026–2027 Civic Engagement Microgrants support group-led projects that bring early-career STEM researchers into substantive, two-way dialogue with communities, public officials and civic leaders. This is applicant-facing financial assistance for groups working through an eligible U.S. fiscal sponsor, not a stipend or grant payable directly to an individual. The official funder webpage gives a November 20, 2026 deadline but does not state a universal closing time or time zone.
Funding by application module: Startup Funding: up to $4,000 for groups less than one year old; Design Your Own Community Event: up to $2,500 for science–community events; and Digital Media: up to $2,000 for science communication media, podcasts, data visualization or similar deliverables. Applicants may select more than one category, but the total award for one group/organization’s activity cannot exceed $4,000. The overall funding pool is not published. No universal mandatory matching percentage is stated.
Who qualifies: groups of STEM master’s or PhD students, professional students (including medicine, nursing, dentistry or pharmacy) or postdoctoral researchers located in the United States or a U.S. territory. Each application must identify two co-leaders and have a fiscal sponsor based in the United States or a U.S. territory to accept and administer the funds. Typically the sponsor is a university or department; international students studying at U.S.-based universities may be eligible. Research!America recommends that each group submit only one application.
Allowable uses and restrictions: supported projects should strengthen science literacy, nonpartisan public engagement and civic dialogue through forums, collaborations, community activities or digital content. Funds cannot pay salaries, stipends, research costs, or institutional indirect costs. They cannot support lobbying aimed at influencing specific legislation or partisan political campaigning. Digital-media projects based on data should use publicly available datasets. Award payments go to the fiscal sponsor after execution of the grant agreement, rather than to individual participants.
Program timetable and reporting: decisions are expected in late December 2026; applicants are expected to spend funds by June 11, 2027 and submit narrative, budget and program-feedback deliverables by July 23, 2027. The program also requires three check-ins and a midterm report. The sponsor must comply with the grant agreement’s financial conditions. The official program offers information sessions on November 6 at 2 p.m. ET and November 10 at 11 a.m. ET.
Application: read the 2026–2027 Civic Engagement Microgrants official rules, modules and FAQs and apply using the funder’s current application link before November 20, 2026. Choose the correct funding category and thematic focus; describe the two-way community engagement, role of two co-leaders, project deliverables and measurable outcomes; and secure a fiscal sponsor able to accept the award with no overhead charge. Exact application cutoff time was not provided on the reviewed official program page. Source verified October 26, 2026.