Richard King Mellon Foundation Grant - Keystone Space Collaborative

Richard King Mellon Foundation Grant - Keystone Space Collaborative

Award Amount: $250,000

Geographic Scope: Tri-State Region (Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio)

Focus Areas: Space industry development, entrepreneurship, workforce development, education and innovation

Program Purpose

Funds Keystone Space Collaborative (KSC) operations and programs to support the growing space industry in the Tri-State Region, with emphasis on robotics and artificial intelligence applications.

What It Funds

• Hiring a Program Director
• Publishing a regional space ecosystem map and industry report through an interactive website
• Convening a regional space industry council to drive strategy
• Launching inaugural Keystone Space Collaborative Annual Conference (held November 2-3, 2021, at Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh)

Keystone Space Collaborative Goals

• Create and draw space-related funding opportunities
• Amplify space-related activities and strengths of the region to external stakeholders (NASA, DoD, global space ecosystem)
• Accelerate space business activities
• Attract space businesses
• Support space entrepreneurs, start-ups, and emerging technologies
• Develop opportunities for space education and innovation at regional schools and universities
• Develop and keep high-level talent by creating access to space-related job opportunities

Eligibility

• Keystone Space Collaborative member organizations
• Industry, academia, government, and economic development stakeholders in PA, WV, OH

Background

The Keystone Space Collaborative is a nonprofit organization established in early 2020 in Pittsburgh, PA. The ARM Institute serves as fiscal sponsor for this grant. The collaboration works to position the Tri-State Region as a regional, national, and global leader in space technology development, manufacturing, and research, building on successes of companies like Astrobotic, Ansys, and other space industry leaders in the region.

Contact Information

Keystone Space Collaborative www.keystonespace.org

Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Institute
Mill 19 A, 4501 Lytle St., Suite 200
Pittsburgh, PA 15207
Phone: 412-785-0444
Website: www.arminstitute.org