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YPS Grant Program

Funding innovative interdisciplinary research through competitive grants.

2026-2027 Program Info Coming Soon!

At a Glance

YPS awards grants to support novel and impactful projects that solve planetary challenges. Since 2022, the grant program has awarded over $7 million to interdisciplinary projects at Yale. Applicants will be notified in April 2026.

  • Initiation

    Up to $25,000 to spark new ideas and a 12-month timeline

  • Acceleration

    Lay the groundwork for implementation with up to $100,000 and an 18-month timeline

  • Constellation

    Transform knowledge into action with up to $250,000 to and a 24-month timeline

  • Impact Accelerator

    A new track for milestone-based funding, expert mentorship, and commercialization guidance.

Request for Proposals

The YPS Grant 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. We look forward to supporting individuals and teams from different disciplines, schools, and academic domains. 

The program is funded with longstanding, generous support from the Three Cairns Climate Impact Innovation Fund, with additional support from the Natural Carbon Solutions Fund, the Simon Bates Catalyst Fund, the Science Catalyst Fund for Planetary Solutions, the Gordon Data and Environmental Sciences Research Grants, and the Science Frontiers Endowment. Other funding partners include the Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture and AI at Yale.

dadelion seeds by Hasan Almasi Birl on Unsplash

Four Distinct Grant Tracks

Intended to empower work on potential new, challenging, or high-risk research and scholarship. Activities in an Initiation grant may include but are not limited to workshops, conferences, book projects, art installations, and curricular improvements. Initiation grants can have budgets up to $25,000 and a 12-month timeline.  

Intended to support projects focused on research and scholarship that lay the groundwork for implementation. This may involve conducting proof-of-concept studies, gathering preliminary data, and practicing team science. This phase is crucial for bridging the gap between ideas and practical, scalable solutions. Acceleration grants can have budgets up to $100,000 and an 18-month timeline.  


 

Intended to enable transformation of academic knowledge into tangible, actionable outcomes in concert with stakeholders. This phase is aimed at ensuring that the research achieves its full potential.  Constellation grants can have budgets up to $250,000 and a 24-month timeline.  

Applicants to the YPS Grant Program have a new option to apply for the Planetary Solutions Impact Accelerator Fund (PSIA). The initial focus of the accelerator is on commercializing technologies that can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the root cause of climate change.  Selected faculty-led projects will receive milestone-based funding, expert mentorship, and access to a global network of investors and partners. 

Learn more about the PSIA on the Yale Ventures website.

FAQs

Answers to common questions about PI eligibility, submitting proposals, budget, award selection process, and more.

Coming Soon!

Partners

YPS grants are funded through generous gifts and partnerships

Related Events

  • Info Session: YPS Grant Program 2026-2027

    Online

    YPS staff will give an overview of how to apply for Initiation, Acceleration, and Constellation Grants, as well as the new Impact Accelerator.

  • Info Session: YPS Grant Program 2026-2027

    Online

    YPS staff will give an overview of how to apply for Initiation, Acceleration, and Constellation Grants, as well as the new Impact Accelerator.

  • YPS Grant Program Symposium

    In-person

    Learn about exciting opportunities for the 2026-27 YPS Grant Program, and hear from current YPS grantees through lightning talks and posters.

Past Grant Projects

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