YPS Grant Program FAQs

Overview

What is the purpose of the YPS Grant Program?

The program is intended to provide support to collaborative groups of Yale community members striving to create novel solutions, pilot new projects, or further existing ideas towards solving planetary challenges that are too complex to be addressed by a single individual or within a single discipline. The program is seeking proposals that align with the YPS mission, and particularly with one or more of our primary lenses: climate change; biodiversity and ecosystems; and communities and society.

What are the sources of funding for this RFP?

The program is funded with longstanding generous support from the Three Cairns Climate Impact Innovation Fund, and we are pleased that the Office of the Provost AI Initiatives, Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture, the Tobin Center for Economic Policy, and the Office of International Affairs are co-funding select awards this year. Additional support for these grants comes from the Natural Carbon Solutions Fund, the Simon Bates Catalyst Fund, the Gordon Data and Environmental Sciences Research Grants, the Birnbaum-Harford Planetary Solutions Translation Fund, and Eleanor and Chad Laurans.

Are you focused just on technology?

No. The only proposals that need to involve technology are those applying for the Constellation grant via the commercialization pathway and the Planetary Solutions Impact Accelerator. Outside of this particular pathway, YPS takes a wide lens regarding the types of solutions that we believe can help address planetary challenges. If you have an idea for how to transform understanding into impact and action, we welcome it, whether it is a technological innovation, a conceptual advancement, a framework, a gathering, or any other idea. We just ask that you articulate – whatever your proposal – how your idea can transform understanding into impact and action. For example, if you propose to develop a new technology or a new framework, who could then use that technology or framework, how, and to do what?

What is the timeline for submitting proposals and receiving funding?

Proposals must be submitted by 11:59 PM ET Friday, January 30, 2026. As part of the decision-making process, Constellation applicants may be invited for presentations to an ad-hoc committee in early April. Applicants will be notified of funding decisions in late April, with funds made available June 15, 2026. Project periods will begin on July 1, 2026.

Do you have a record of past awardees?

You can read about past recipients here:

Can we ask questions or schedule meetings with the YPS team?

Yes! Email us at planetarysolutions@yale.edu. We are happy to talk with you about your ideas. We also invite you to review the RFP on the Grant Program page and join the info sessions to see if they answer your questions. Please note that our availability may be limited as the submission deadline approaches.

PI Eligibility

Who is eligible to serve as Principal Investigator (PI) on a proposal?

All teams must be led by a current Yale faculty or staff member who is eligible to serve as a PI and has gained approval, if approval is needed, by submitting a completed PI Status Request Form (Form 1310 FR.04) via InfoReady.

The following applicants need to submit the form: staff and any faculty other than those listed below.

The following applicants do not need to submit the form: full-time employees who hold the academic rank of professor, associate professor, assistant professor, senior research scientist/scholar, research scientist/scholar, Senior Lector II, or Senior Lecturer II.

Please refer to the 1310 Principal Investigator Eligibility Requirements on Sponsored Projects policy for more information.

Post-docs, graduate students, and alumni are not eligible to serve as PIs (or co-PIs).

Are co-PIs allowed?

Co-PIs are allowed; however, each proposal must be submitted by a single PI who is responsible for overall management of the project.

YPS Lenses, Grant Tracks, and Reapplications

What if my project focuses on more than one of the lenses listed in the RFP?

We encourage proposals that are developing creative solutions that span multiple lenses: climate change, biodiversity and ecosystems, and communities and society. In your submission, indicate the relevant lens or lenses.

Does my project have to work in one of the lenses listed in the RFP?

Yes. Climate change, biodiversity and ecosystems, and communities and society are focus areas of YPS, so projects must be relevant to one or more of these areas.

Which type of grant should I apply to?

We encourage you to submit proposals for whichever grant track (Initiation, Exploration, or Constellation) you think most closely fits your potential project. Look through the descriptions and proposal elements in the RFP to gain a better sense of each. If it would be helpful, we are happy to have a short conversation to help you decide. Email us at planetarysolutions@yale.edu.

My idea could fit into all three types of grants. Can I submit proposals to them all?

There is no limit to the number of proposals you can submit or the grant tracks you can submit a proposal to. We encourage folks who are interested in submitting the same idea at multiple levels to do so. Think carefully about what track best fits your work at this stage and tailor your proposal for each track you apply for. As part of the review process, we will cross check and determine how the work gets funded, in cases where an idea is submitted to and selected by committees reviewing proposals in multiple tracks for the same underlying project.

I applied but wasn’t awarded a YPS Grant in the past. Can I apply again this cycle?

Yes! If your previous proposal was not selected for funding, you are welcome to submit it again, though we encourage you to update it based on feedback have you received. You are also welcome to apply with a new proposal!

I received a YPS Grant in the past. Can I apply with a new project?

Yes! We welcome proposals for new projects, regardless of whether you have received past funding for other projects.

I received a YPS Grant in the past. Can I apply for additional funding for the same project?

The intent of the YPS Grant Program is to help you become better positioned when you seek external funding or other next steps, so the expectation is that grant recipients will seek sustained funding from external sources to continue to scale and expand the impact of their work.

If you received YPS Grant funding in a past cycle, you can apply for additional YPS funding this cycle for the same project, but you must have applied for external funding for the project since receiving the original YPS Grant.

When you submit your proposal, click the button indicating that you have received a YPS Grant for this project in the past. You can then list the opportunity name and organization, amount applied for, date applied, and status, as well as indicating why additional funding is needed, how it could facilitate scaling and expanded impact, and how the project has potential to leverage this funding by attracting and securing additional funding or growing in other ways.

The proposal will be evaluated using the same criteria included in the RFP for other proposals in the same track, with an additional step to account for it as a request for additional funding. Alternatively, if you have funds left from your previous award, no-cost extensions may be available. Please email us at planetarysolutions@yale.edu with any questions.

Can I participate in and/or submit more than one proposal?

Yes. There are no limitations on the number of collaborative proposals in which an individual may participate.

If I submit multiple proposals, can I win multiple awards?

Yes. Each PI may receive funding for one award in each track each year (one Initiation Grant, one Exploration Grant, and one Constellation Grant). PIs on one project can also serve in supporting capacities (e.g. as co-PIs or team members) on additional projects.

Funding and Budget

Can this funding be used for faculty member salary and fringe?

It depends. This funding may be used for salary and fringe for research faculty (associate research scientist/scholar, research scientist/scholar, and senior research scientist/scholar ranks) and ladder faculty who are on 12-month appointments. This funding may not be used for salary and fringe for non-ladder faculty or ladder faculty who are not on 12-month appointments.

Can this funding be used for post-doc salary and fringe?

Yes. This funding may be used for salary and fringe for post-docs.

Can this funding be used for graduate stipend or tuition?

Yes. This funding can be used for stipend and up to 50% of tuition. Please note that tuition funded via the YPS Grant Program is not eligible for the Graduate Student Tuition Matching Program.

What percentage of the budget can be used for any one budget category?

The only limit on a specific budget category is that travel and registration for external conferences must not exceed a combined $3,000.

Can funds be directed to third parties (people from other institutions or agencies)?

The YPS Grant Program is intended to be a primarily internal program, but we recognize that working with other organizations can catalyze advances in research and implementation, particularly in the planetary solutions space. This may include making contract for service agreements with non-Yale partners, in which case the PI and delegates must ensure that Yale policies and procedures are followed when disbursing funds. It is the responsibility of the PI to manage the project funds, and all funding requests must comply with the Appropriate Use of University Research Funds policy. The Office of the Provost can meet with any interested parties to ensure you have a robust plan for your funding needs. Please reach out to planetarysolutions@yale.edu with any questions.

Teams

Who can be on a team?

Teams must be led by a Yale faculty or staff member who is eligible to serve as a PI but can include any university community member, with preference given to interdisciplinary teams. Teams are also encouraged to include third parties (other institutions or agencies), but the proposal must clearly articulate how these connections generate new knowledge, enable the translation of knowledge into action, and/or lead to positive impact.

Is interdisciplinarity the goal?

The Grant Program aims to support Yale as a whole to move planetary solutions forward, and gives preference to interdisciplinary teams, driven by the belief that solutions are unlikely to come from just one lab, department, or individual.

What counts as an interdisciplinary team?

We encourage different ways of thinking about and addressing complex problems. We believe that this is more likely to happen when people with different areas of expertise, histories, and beliefs interact. An interdisciplinary team includes people with different disciplinary backgrounds, including – ideally – co-PIs with different backgrounds. Please note that while a single person can have an interdisciplinary background, completely solo projects are unlikely to receive YPS grant funding.

If my proposal were funded, would there be any restrictions on who I could hire as a postdoc?

The YPS Grant Program does not have any additional restrictions related to who you could hire as a postdoc, but you would need to follow your department or school’s relevant policies.

My project has commercial potential. Will someone be available to help us scale up?

Yes! Please apply for a Constellation Grant, selecting the “Commercialization Pathway + Planetary Solutions Impact Accelerator” option. YPS and Yale Ventures, the university’s innovation and entrepreneurship office, are collaborating on the PSIA, a new initiative designed to fast-track the development of transformative solutions to planetary challenges. In addition to the Constellation grant funding, PIs participating in the PSIA will receive expert mentorship, commercialization support, access to a global network of investors and partners, and support from student fellows.

Proposal Submission Process

Are spaces included in the character count?

Yes, spaces count as characters. We recommend drafting in a word processor and making sure you include spaces when counting characters before pasting into InfoReady.

Can I include Figures or Graphics?

In InfoReady there is a place to upload a PDF containing Figures and Graphics. Figures and Graphics are optional and do not count towards a character limit.

Can I include References?

In InfoReady there is a place to upload a PDF containing References. References are optional and do not count towards a character limit.

Can I include Letters of Support?

In InfoReady there is a place to upload a PDF containing Letters of Support. Letters of Support are optional and do not count towards a character limit.

What data should I include in my proposal?

You are not required to include data in your proposal, but if you have preliminary data that supports your proposal, we welcome you to include it. If you include data in a section with a character limit, the data will count towards the total character count.

Can I log in and see all the question fields without submitting?

Yes, you can browse the fields and prompts in the application by logging in (CAS) and paging through.

Can I submit an application for someone else, as a proxy?

Yes, InfoReady is configured for proxy submissions. The PI would need to log into InfoReady to grant permissions to the proxy so the proxy can submit on their behalf. Help Guides

Award Selection Process

Who will review the proposals and make final selections?

Proposals will first be reviewed by YPS staff to ensure that they meet the submission requirements. All proposals that meet the requirements will be evaluated against the Evaluation Criteria defined in the RFP by committees of faculty and staff from a wide range of disciplines supporting YPS; commercialization-related Constellation proposals will also be reviewed by an external advisory board of industry experts and investors. Reviewers will make a recommendation of the projects that should be considered for funding, with final funding determinations made by the Office of the Provost.

What criteria are you using to evaluate proposals?

The Evaluation Criteria for each Grant track are listed at the bottom of that section of the RFP.

Will we receive feedback on submitted proposals?

Yes. YPS will provide written comments from the reviewers to all teams, including those whose proposals are not selected for funding. We hope these reviews will be helpful to those who wish to pursue the proposed work through other mechanisms or through the YPS Grant Program in future cycles.

Relevant Links

Yale Planetary Solutions Grant Program

Request for Proposals (RFP)

Planetary Solutions Impact Accelerator

If you have questions about your specific proposal idea or anything that has not been addressed on this page or in our RFP, please contact planetarysolutions@yale.edu.

Apply Now for the YPS Grant Program + Impact Accelerator!

YPS Grant Program FAQs