Work that contributes to the human exploration and development of Mars, including science and engineering work associated with Mars surface resources and operations; Work that is relevant to both Mars and the Moon, and potentially a broader set of destinations, is also supported; In general, they are interested in supporting work that will have ongoing value and that can be built upon further after the grant effort; Work can be novel research or take the form of reviewing and summarizing prior work and providing information in a form that can be leveraged by other efforts moving forward; Developing and publishing relevant tools and databases is also supported; Education-focused activities should have ongoing value beyond the grant period, including for those who were not directly engaged in the supported effort; Student- and volunteer-led efforts are welcome and encouraged; Mars surface environments and hardware design guidelines; Mars resource availability and processing, including both water and non-water resources; Evaluation of candidate landing sites and outpost locations, and associated surface operations; Power generation and energy storage, including methods that leverage local resources; Methods to leverage human missions and precursor activities to enhance the science and exploration of Mars, including approaches to Mars surface science with humans present; Mission concepts enabled by future capabilities to deliver very large masses to the surface of Mars in an affordable fashion; Long-range, regional- and global-scale surface mobility and exploration capabilities.

Grant applications are now open and applications are due by September 20, 2025 at 8 pm US CDT (GMT-05) in order to be considered for the current round, with earlier applications encouraged. DevelopSpace intends to request grant applications on a periodic basis, with funding opportunities two to three times per year, and applicants can sign up to receive updates through the link at the bottom of the grants page.

Until recently, space mission design was constrained by the high cost to send mass into space. With the recent significant reduction in launch costs, and the potential for near-term capabilities to deliver unprecedented payloads to space destinations, the program positions work that explores relevant mission concepts and enabling scientific and technical information to help accelerate the fielding of these capabilities and serve as a foundation for future efforts.

DevelopSpace anticipates initial funding will be between $500 and $2,500 per grant, with the award amount dependent on the size of the activity and ongoing value of the material developed through the course of the effort. The funds can be used in a variety of ways to best enable the goals of the project and support the mission, including but not limited to research expenses, travel costs, food for team activities, and modest stipends, and the funds can be used to complement other support where needed.

In addition to monetary support, a variety of in-kind contributions can potentially be provided in collaboration with the project, including data storage and computing resources, technical and scientific review and advice, and assistance with broader fundraising and project administration activities, with non-monetary support also available to projects not selected for funding to help prepare for subsequent rounds.

Proposals are encouraged globally, although US Government regulations may limit what entities can be supported, and support for non-US entities may require additional time to coordinate transfer of funds if selected.

For more information, visit DevelopSpace.

https://developspace.org/grants/