Richard King Mellon Foundation Grant - Keystone Space Collaborative

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.