Community Science Hubs

Capacidad de colaboración

AGU Thriving Earth Exchange is thrilled to announce the selection of the Capacity Collaborative as our first Regional Hubs Partner. This partnership is part of a larger initiative funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to build and support regional hubs for community science. This grant will support four Regional community science Hubs, each of which will be a selected partner organization that will help launch community science projects within their respective regions and provide tailored support for communities working on those projects. Each hub will launch and support twelve projects over the period of two years.

The Capacity Collaborative is a network of primarily southeastern nonprofit, grassroots organizations that have come together to catalyze environmental and energy justice through training, technical assistance and capacity building. It is led by Project Director Kathleen Kirkpatrick, an environmental engineer and climate activist with a passion for helping rural communities in the South become more resilient and sustainable.

This partnership will bring together at least twelve southeast communities by recruiting community leads to volunteer for projects then match them with a Community Science Fellow and Volunteer Scientist(s) to address a local priority concern. Additionally, The Capacity Collaborative, with support from AGU’s Thriving Earth Exchange, will encourage connections and capacity building for community science within the Southeastern region of the United States. Stay tuned! Thriving Earth will soon seek partners to serve as the remaining three regional hubs. The announcement and details about the application process, funding, support, and requirements will go up here and be shared on social media and our newsletter. Be sure to check back soon for those details.

If your Southern community has environmental justice or other concerns that you’d like to explore scientific solutions for, schedule a time to chat with Kathleen at The Capacity Collaborative about submitting a project application to Thriving Earth Exchange. You’ll find her scheduling app here or send email to kathleenk (at) thecapacitycollaborative.net  Project applications are received on a rolling basis, with a Sept 7 deadline to join the Fall 2023 cohort. Scientists are invited to participate in the Science Fellows Program or as a Community Scientist.

Expressions of Interest Now Closed for Community Hub Partners

We are currently reviewing expressions of interest for Community Hub Partners. Thank you to everyone who applied.  Like Capacity Collaborative, these partners will receive $50,000/year for two years (max total of $100,000) to hire or designate a dedicated hub coordinator who will recruit and support twelve communities through the lifecycle of an 18-month community science project. The hub coordinator will receive training and support from Thriving Earth Exchange staff including but not limited to guidance on our processes, training on recruitment and interviewing, access to AGU staff expertise such as development. The hub coordinator will provide regular check-ins and guidance to the communities, provide routine updates to Thriving Earth staff, and connect community leads to one another.

Thriving Earth is open to a wide range of potential regions and topics but prefer a focus on communities who are underserved and/or historically marginalized ready to start a community science project focused on natural hazards, natural resources, climate change, environmental health, pollution, resilience and/or sustainability issues. Hub partners receiving the initial funds must be incorporated in the United States of America but supported communities can be anywhere in the world.

Selected organizations will receive an email invitation by Monday, 25 September to submit a proposal along with information about what that proposal should contain. Partnerships are expected to start by early 2024.

Thank you to everyone who attended the informational session. If you were unable to attend, you can find the slides here.

Community Science Hubs Partner Opportunity FAQ

What is AGU Thriving Earth Exchange hoping to accomplish by supporting community science hubs? 

Thriving Earth Exchange aims to support regionally/topically-based non profits to support their adaptation of the Thriving Earth community science approach so that they can do locally-tailored community science projects that address environmental and climate-related challenges with a focus on co-creation and collaboration. Through our endeavor to identify and support three new community science hubs, we have developed the following guidelines: 

How will full proposals be evaluated? 

The criteria for evaluating proposals include deep community connections, potential for growth, sustainability, the ability to articulate a clear theory of change, evidence of effectiveness in community engagement, the ability to deliver community-relevant programming, alignment with Earth and Space sciences, and respect for community knowledge. The open call for proposals is due September 12, 2023. Those that move forward to the full proposal stage will be made aware September 20, 2023, with full proposals due October 20, 2023.  

What is required for the full proposal? 

There are no strict page limits for the full proposal, but the focus should be on addressing the evaluation criteria and providing detailed and relevant information. All questions must be answered. 

What types of organizations are eligible? 

Eligible organizations are registered non-profits or social benefit corporations in the United States or have a fiscal sponsor that is a registered non-profit in the United States that have deep community connections and a history of community engagement. Thriving Earth Exchange will consider working with complex organizational structures, such as federations or associations that have a non-profit status in the United States, that partner outside of the United States, especially in the Americas/Caribbean. 

What types of communities should a hub serve? 

Each hub is expected to support marginalized/underserved communities who have historically had insufficient access to the sciences – particularly Earth and space sciences – to support tools/solutions that are meaningful and impactful in those communities. The definition of underserved communities is flexible, and applicants are encouraged to explain why they consider certain communities underserved. 

How many communities should each hub serve to fulfill grant requirements? 

Each Hub is expected to onboard, launch and support twelve (12) communities as part of the grant requirements. 

Are there any restrictions on using grant monies? 

Each hub will be eligible to receive a total of $100,000. This amount is primarily intended to support staff (a dedicated  hub coordinator(s)) who will recruit, onboard, launch and support twelve (12) communities to do a community science project. Additionally, AGU will provide training and guidance to the hub coordinator(s), a volunteer project manager (Community Science Fellow), access to a community fund of up to $1,000 per project, and assistance matching communities and projects with scientists, partners and other resources, as needed.  

Who is the hub coordinator? 

The hub coordinator(s) is an existing staff member (or a future hire if they can be hired within the timeline) of a non-profit or someone(s) who can be easily identified to ensure communities in your region are recruited, onboarded, launched and supported starting in January 2024. The role of the Community Hub Coordinator includes recruitment in the early phase of the project, regular check-ins with projects, sharing updates, connecting projects, and providing support when projects face challenges. 

Can organizations collaborate and/or pair this opportunity with other grants?   

Organizations may collaborate together on the opportunity, but there should be one primary organization taking lead that will also receive the funding directly. Collaboration with other grants is possible as long as they complement the Thriving Earth Exchange initiative and contribute to sustainability. 

What regions and/or topics will be considered? 

There is interest in having good coverage of projects across the U.S., and the hubs can support multiple adjacent regions defined as relevant to the communities involved. The first hub, Capacity Collaborative, is focused on the southeast and Puerto Rico. A hub may also focus on a topical issue that links communities across areas that might not typically be considered regionally connected such as coastal flooding, urban heat, soil contamination, etc. 

Can a hub have a global (non-US focused) component?   

While not required, a global component is welcome in projects, but the primary focus is on supporting U.S.-based communities. 

Are the slides from the informational session available? 

Yes, you can view a PDF of the slides here.