FUNding Friday Microgrant Competition

FUNding Friday Microgrant Competition

Funder: Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP)

Overview: ESIP's annual small grant competition held during the July in-person meeting. FUNding Friday is a microfunding competition that nurtures fresh ideas and creative research within the ESIP community. The event embodies the philosophy that even serious, data-driven communities need to save space for small, creative ideas and off-the-wall concepts that can drive action.

Award Amounts

• Regular ESIP members: $5,000 per grant
• Students or K-12 teachers: $3,000 per grant
• Multiple awards: ESIP awards multiple microgrants each year

Geographic Scope

• United States (ESIP is based in Vienna, VA)
• International participation welcome

Focus Areas

• Earth science data challenges
• Innovative approaches to data management
• Education and public engagement
• Community science and citizen science
• Data literacy and accessibility
• Indigenous data management
• Open science practices
• Climate and environmental monitoring
• K-12 and higher education initiatives

Eligibility

• ESIP members (for $5,000 grants)
• Students (for $3,000 grants)
• K-12 teachers (for $3,000 grants)
• Teams/collaborations welcome
• Participation in July ESIP Meeting required for competition

Key Requirements

• Presentation format: Poster-based pitch (handmade with markers/creative materials)
• Pitch duration: 2-minute oral presentation
• Venue: Presented at July ESIP Meeting
• Expected outcome: Awardees must present results of their project at a future ESIP meeting

Process

• Thursday evening: Competitors gather at a local venue to create posters (social, creative atmosphere)
• Friday morning: Presentations and audience voting in two categories: (1) Teachers & Students, and (2) Regular Attendees
• Voting: Audience votes for favorites; winners selected by popular vote

Background

Established as a beloved annual tradition during July ESIP Meetings. The competition celebrates the intersection of creativity and science, emphasizing that small steps and creative ideas keep the community rooted in actionable data. Past winners (2023-2025) have included projects on ocean debris robotics, water quality analysis, indigenous data management, plankton identification, wildfire data literacy, and more.

Contact Information

Organization: Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) Address: 344 Maple Ave W., #129, Vienna, VA 22180, USA Email: staff@esipfed.org Website: esipfed.org Sponsored by: NASA, NOAA, and USGS