YPS Grant Program FAQs

We’ve provided answers to frequently asked questions about the Yale Planetary Solutions Grant Program below.

**Please note that the answer to the following question has been updated: “If I submit multiple proposals, can I win multiple grants?”**

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 toward 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 this year we are pleased to welcome the Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture and AI at Yale as partners in funding select awards. Additional support for these grants comes 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.

Are you focused just on technology?

Two types of proposals will need to involve technology: those applying for the Constellation grant focused on the intersection of AI and any YPS lens, and those applying for the Constellation grant focused on hard technology commercialization for climate solutions in collaboration with Yale Ventures. Outside of these two pathways, 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 Sunday, March 30, 2025. Applicants will be notified of funding decisions in May. We aim to award funds in early June.

Do you have a record of past awardees?

You can read about the winners from past years here:

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

Yes! Email us at planetarysolutions@yale.edu. We also invite you to review the RFP on our website and watch the info session recording 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 to serve as PI, if approval is needed. Even though this is internal funding, we are following the 1310 Principal Investigator Eligibility Requirements on Sponsored Projects policy, and therefore asking that faculty who would need to submit the PI status request form (Form 1310 FR.04) and staff who would need to seek approval from the Provost or Dean of self-support units for an external opportunity do the same for this opportunity as well. Please upload the completed form in the PI Status Request Form section on InfoReady.

Can postdocs serve as the PI?

No. Trainees, including postdocs, are not eligible to serve as PI.

Can Yale alumni serve as the PI?

No. PIs need to be current Yale faculty or staff with permission to serve in this role.

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. Please upload the Biosketch, CV, or Resume of any individuals who will serve as PI or co-PIs.

YPS Lenses, Types of Grants, 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 type of grant (Initiation, Acceleration 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 to the types of grants 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 type of grant best fits your work at this stage and tailor your proposal for each grant level 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 multiple proposal types for the same underlying project.

Can you provide examples of previous Constellation proposals?

Constellation grants are new this year, so there are no past examples. The intent of Constellation grants is to enable transformation of academic knowledge into tangible, actionable outcomes in concert with stakeholders. Each of the 3 Constellation grants will have a distinct solutions pathway, and the vision is to fund 1 project in each pathway:

1 project that integrates Artificial Intelligence (AI) and any YPS lens, whether that’s utilizing AI as a tool to address a planetary challenge or addressing AI’s role in exacerbating planetary challenges.
1 project that aims at commercializing a hardware-based climate solution. It could be an innovation related to renewable energy, batteries, refrigerants, carbon removal, the grid, plant-based foods, or any of the many other areas in need of new technology. This project team will work with Yale Ventures, the university’s innovation and entrepreneurship office.
1 project focused on any solutions pathway. It could be a policy solution or any other creative solution, technical or not.

Please see the RFP to gain a greater sense of the Constellation grant proposal elements and reach out to planetarysolutions@yale.edu with any questions.

What do you mean by “projects must be new”?

As the intent of YPS grant funding is to support projects early in the research process, projects must be newly developed when they are first brought to the Grant Program, whether that is this cycle, or in a past cycle if you are applying again this cycle (see next two questions). In essence, this is not an opportunity to augment funding for a project that is already underway, or for which most of the funding is already in hand. Please email us at planetarysolutions@yale.edu with any questions.

I applied but wasn’t awarded a YPS Seed 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 Seed Grant in the past. Can I apply for a new project?

Yes! We welcome proposals for new projects, regardless of whether, or how many times, you have received past funding.

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

If you received YPS Seed Grant funding in a past cycle, you are welcome to apply for additional YPS funding this cycle for the same project, but you must list external funding that you have already applied for related to the project. The intent of the YPS Grant Program is to help you become better positioned when you seek external funding, so the expectation is that grantees will seek sustained funding from external sources to continue to scale and expand the impact of their work.

With that in mind, we also request that you indicate 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. This could include describing why you are applying for the next larger type of grant, articulating why and how an additional year of funding of the same grant type would let you set the stage for scaling and impact in a way that the previous year of funding did not facilitate, or something similar.

When you submit your proposal, click the button indicating that this proposal is a “continuation of a previous award.” The proposal will be evaluated using the same criteria included in the RFP for other projects of the same type, 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.

What information should we include about any applications we’ve made for external funding?

Please list the opportunity name and organization, amount applied for, date applied, and status.

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 grants?

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

Funding and Budget

I’m a faculty member. Can this funding be used for my salary?

No. This funding may not be used for the salary of ladder, instructional, or research faculty. But it may be used for salary and fringe for post-docs and research assistants, as appropriate; stipend and up to 50% tuition for graduate students (please note that tuition funded via the YPS Grant Program is not eligible for the Graduate Student Tuition Matching Program); and undergraduate compensation for hourly work.

I’m a research faculty member. Can this funding be used for my salary?

No. Funding from this grant may not be used for salary for faculty, including research faculty. The Faculty Handbook (page 143) notes that “Persons holding the ranks of associate research scientist/scholar, research scientist/scholar, or senior research scientist/scholar are considered to be research faculty.”

I’m a postdoc or research assistant. Can this funding be used for my salary?

Yes. This funding may be used for salary and fringe for post-docs and research assistants, as appropriate.

I’m a graduate student. Can this funding be used for my stipend or tuition?

Yes. This funding can be used for stipend and up to 50% of your 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, such as salary?

We haven’t set any limits on specific budget categories or uses beyond the overall ceilings, though you must follow Yale University salary rules and abide by the Appropriate Use of University Research Funds and any other relevant polices. See salary questions above.

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.

Should applicants work with pre-award Faculty Research Management Services (FRMS)?

No. InfoReady has a location to enter budget information, and the Business Operations team in the Office of the Provost will work with successful teams.

Teams

Who can be on a team?

Teams must be led by a Yale faculty or staff member eligible to serve as a PI but can include any university community member. Teams can also include third parties (people from 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.

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.

Is interdisciplinarity the goal?

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

What counts as interdisciplinary?

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, so we expect teams to consist of people with different disciplinary backgrounds, including – ideally – co-PIs with different backgrounds. In the Project Team and Management section of the proposal, you are welcome to describe the disciplinary strengths relevant to your project and how your proposed team fulfills these disciplinary needs. Please note that while a single person can have an interdisciplinary background, completely solo projects are unlikely to receive YPS grant funding.

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

Yale Ventures is the university’s innovation and entrepreneurship office and can provide IP licensing, business development, and other resources. If you think any aspect of your project might be translatable to a new product or service, please contact Yale Ventures to discuss your project as early in the research process as possible. Yale Ventures will work particularly closely with the project team awarded the Constellation Grant in the hard climate technology pathway.

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 References, and do they count towards the character limit?

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

Can I include Figures or Graphics?

In InfoReady there is a place to upload Figures and Graphics. Figures and Graphics 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.

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 criteria defined in the RFP by committees of faculty and staff from a wide range of disciplines supporting YPS. Because of the interdisciplinarity of the proposals submitted, it is unlikely that proposals will be reviewed by someone with deep subject matter expertise. Reviewers will make a recommendation of the projects that should be considered for funding. The Office of the Provost will make the final funding determinations informed by reviewer recommendations.

What criteria are you using to evaluate proposals?

The Evaluation Criteria for each grant type are listed at the bottom of that grant’s section of the RFP and are evenly weighted.

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

Website: Yale Planetary Solutions Invites Proposals for the 4th Annual Grant Program

Request for Proposals (RFP)

Apply Now

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.

This FAQ will be updated with answers to questions until the proposal deadline.