Gulf Futures Challenge FAQs

The Gulf Futures Challenge is an initiative of the Gulf Research Program (GRP) at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The GRP’s mission is to develop, translate, and apply science, engineering, and medical knowledge to enhance offshore energy safety, environmental protection and stewardship, and human health and community resilience in the Gulf region in ways that empower all those who call the region home. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine provide independent, objective advice to inform policy with evidence, spark progress and innovation, and confront challenging issues for the benefit of society. 

The Gulf region stands at a critical juncture with several transitions underway affecting its economy, environment, and communities. Developing, translating, and using science, engineering, and medical knowledge to bridge knowledge to action will be essential to navigating these transitions.

We welcome applications from non-profits, local government, and academic institutions. Lead applicant organizations must be headquartered and operating in the Gulf region (Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, or Texas, or a tribal territory/nation in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, or Texas) but may partner with organizations located elsewhere. Please refer to the Rules for more information about eligibility. We encourage you to assess your fit for the Challenge by completing the Organizational Readiness Tool.

Organizations eligible to serve as the Lead Organization must be:

•  A public charity under section 501(c)(3) and 509(a)(1) or (2) of the Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) that has received a tax determination letter from the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”);
• A tribal government treated as a State pursuant to Internal Revenue Code Section 7871; or
• A state or local governmental entity which includes government units and government instrumentalities (including many public universities).

Eligible organizations are welcome to partner with for-profit companies, foundations, individuals, and other entities to implement the initiative. Eligible organizations may also partner with international entities, limited to those working mainly in the Gulf region waters, in addition to projects that incorporate components working in the eastern coast of Mexico and the northern coast of Cuba, all within the Gulf of Mexico region.

The Gulf Futures Challenge is focused on solutions located in the U.S. Gulf region, and proposed projects should occur within 100 miles of the Gulf coastline (including offshore).

A map of areas where the Gulf Research Program has historically focused activities can be found here. 

This excludes Florida’s Atlantic Coast and other areas less relevant to this Challenge, such as Orlando, Miami, Austin, etc.

The lead organization must be located in one of the five Gulf States (Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, or Texas).

Up to 10 project teams will be selected as finalists. The finalists will each receive an initial project development grant of $300,000 and technical assistance to strengthen their proposal. After submitting a revised proposal, two finalists will be selected to receive awards of up to $20 million to implement their solution. The remaining eight finalists will be eligible to receive up to $875,000 each in an additional project development grant. Additionally, all ten finalist proposals will be added to Lever for Change’s Bold Solutions Network, which offers ongoing learning and networking opportunities to strengthen the impact of their work, raise their visibility, and increase their potential to secure funding. We hope this process will also engage the public and the philanthropic sector to reimagine how to bring about meaningful, measurable change.

Once the initial application submission deadline passes, the Challenge team will perform an administrative review to confirm that each submission meets the Rules and application requirements before advancing to the required Participatory Review.

During Participatory Review, each applicant organization will review the applications of three peer applicant organizations using the Scoring Rubric that outlines four criteria: impact, inclusivity, innovation, and ability to bridge knowledge to action. Top-scoring proposals from Participatory Review will advance to the Evaluation Panel, where they will receive additional review and comments from five Evaluation Panel Reviewers. During the Evaluation Panel Review, proposals will be assessed using the same scoring rubric. Technical experts will review top-scoring proposals. Teams may be asked to submit additional information to be finalists.

Applicants will be asked to demonstrate why they think their proposed project will be successful, feasible, impactful, and innovative. Although supplemental materials will not be collected in the initial application, applicants should be able to describe how they know their assumptions are accurate and make sense. This evidence could include referring to formal or informal studies, observations, evaluation reports, impact studies, or other indicators of change as defined by your community.

• The GRP seeks to support the Gulf region in identifying and taking action to employ solutions that address complex challenges occurring now and into the future. Proposals should translate, communicate, and/or apply sciences, engineering, or medical knowledge to a vexing problem of at least two of the three Gulf Futures (“Energy Transition,” “Environmental Change along the Gulf Coast,” and “Healthy and Resilient Communities”). Proposals could include complex collaborations, for example, collaborations that bring together scientific disciplines and sectors with other ways of knowing, including Indigenous, local, and other knowledge or expertise to solve complex problems. Sciences or scientific knowledge includes a diverse and broad spectrum of branches and sub-disciplines of fundamental, applied, and/or practical sciences, including but not limited to social, natural, physical, life, and formal sciences.
• Engineering knowledge includes the diverse and broad spectrum of branches and sub-disciplines of fundamental, applied, and/or practical engineering, including but not limited to chemical, civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering, as well as fields of technical and technological knowledge.
• Medical knowledge includes a diverse and broad spectrum of branches and sub-disciplines of fundamental, applied, and/or practical health and medicine, including, but not limited to, physical medicine, health sciences, public health, and pharmaceuticals.

Applicants will be asked to do the following as part of the application process:

·       Register (15 minutes) for the challenge by answering a few short informational questions

·       Submit an application (10+ hours)  Provide an overview of your project challenge, solution, and partner organizational information, 

·       Complete Participatory Review (~2.5 hours) assessing the applications of three, and if necessary, up to five, other applicants using the Scoring Rubric,

Find more technical information in our Help Center.

If you have questions about the contest, please email them to SHJAwards@scripps.com.