Civic Innovation Challenge | 20 562

Opportunity Information: Apply for 20 562

The Civic Innovation Challenge (CIVIC) is a two-stage federal research and action competition focused on speeding up the path from research to real, measurable community benefits in the Smart and Connected Communities (SampCC) space. It is designed to strengthen collaboration between communities, researchers, and other cross-sector partners by turning community-identified needs into near-term, pilot-ready projects. Unlike many community-university efforts that can take years to show tangible results, CIVIC specifically funds work that can demonstrate significant community impact within about a year of piloting (after an initial planning period), while also aiming for solutions that can last beyond the grant and be adapted by other places.

A defining feature of CIVIC is that it flips the typical dynamic where universities lead and communities follow. Here, communities are expected to lead by identifying pressing civic priorities that are ready for innovation, then partnering with researchers and other organizations to design and test solutions. The program also requires civic partners to be part of the core project team, emphasizing authentic engagement and practical implementation capacity. Civic partners can include local, state, or tribal government officials, nonprofit representatives, community organizers and advocates, community service providers, and others actively working to improve local conditions.

CIVIC is organized around two topic tracks. Track A, Communities and Mobility, targets better mobility options that help address the spatial mismatch between where affordable housing is located and where jobs are concentrated. Track B, Resilience to Natural Disasters, focuses on improving community preparedness and resilience to natural disasters. Both tracks seek projects where research is mature enough to be piloted quickly in real community settings, and where outcomes can be evaluated on a short timeline, not just theorized or modeled in isolation.

The funding structure is staged to move teams from planning into implementation. Stage 1 offers Planning Grants, with up to 12 awards per track. Each planning award can provide up to $50,000 over four months to support pre-development work such as building and formalizing the team, refining the project design, strengthening community commitments, and preparing a competitive full proposal. Only Stage 1 awardees are eligible to apply to Stage 2, which functions as the implementation and evaluation phase. Stage 2 selects up to four teams per track from the Stage 1 pool, and each selected team can receive up to $1,000,000 for up to 12 months to run and assess a research-centered pilot in the community.

A major program element is the creation of "communities of practice" that connect participating teams so they can share methods, lessons learned, and reusable approaches across different regions. This convening and coordination role is led by MetroLab Network, an NSF grantee (NSF award 1931690), using both in-person and online activities. The intent is not only to help each team succeed locally, but also to increase the likelihood that tools, practices, and evaluation methods can transfer to other communities facing similar problems.

CIVIC is supported by multiple federal partners. The overall effort is jointly backed by the National Science Foundation (including its Directorates for Computer and Information Science and Engineering and for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences), the Department of Energy, and the Department of Homeland Security. Track A is supported by NSF and DOE, while Track B is supported by NSF/CISE and DHS. Philanthropic organizations may provide additional support for CIVIC-related activities through MetroLab Network, but NSF does not share proposals or peer reviews with those philanthropic organizations.

From the posted opportunity data, the program is administered by the National Science Foundation and offered as a discretionary grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number 20-562). The award ceiling for full awards is $1,000,000, with an anticipated total of 32 awards across stages and tracks. The CFDA numbers listed for the opportunity include 47.070, 47.075, 81.049, and 97.108. The original closing date shown in the source is July 1, 2020, and eligibility is listed broadly as "Others," with additional details referenced in the full announcement’s eligibility section.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Civic Innovation Challenge" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.070, 47.075, 81.049, 97.108.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 03, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 01, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 32 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for 20 562

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