NASA STEM Engagement Partnerships and Statement of Interest

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: What is a NASA “partnership?”

Answer: NASA uses the term “partnership” to describe a wide variety of relationships with various 

external entities (e.g., contractors, academia, the public, other stakeholders). For these FAQs, a 

“partnership” is a distinct type of non-procurement business relationship that does not involve the 

acquisition of goods and services for the direct benefit of the Agency.

Question: What is the deadline to submit a Statement of Interest?

Answer: There is no deadline or due date to submit. NASA will accept Statements of Interest on an 

ongoing basis and reserves the right to pursue opportunities with all, some, or none of the interested 

parties.

Question: How are Statements of Interest evaluated?

Answer: Statements of Interest will be reviewed against Alignment to NASA, Overall Impact, and 

Management as described in the Review Criteria. NASA takes a variety of factors into account in deciding 

whether to consider a Statement of Interest for a NASA partnership. Factors include, but are not limited 

to, resource availability, a positive evaluation of the Statement of Interest, cost to NASA, and potential 

for high impact outcomes.

Question: What is the difference between Partnership Agreements and Procurement Contracts?

Answer:

• Partnership agreements are generally used to: (1) support the needs of the external partner 

where the partner reimburses government expenses (reimbursable partnership) or (2) achieve a

mutual goal when working collaboratively on a no-exchange-of-funds basis (non-reimbursable 

partnership).

• Procurement contracts, which are subject to the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and 

procurement statutes, are required when the principal purpose of the transaction is to acquire 

property or services for the direct benefit or use of the Federal Government.

• Both procurements and partnerships are important tools used by NASA in meeting its missions.

This opportunity to partner with NASA STEM falls outside the scope of grants, cooperative agreements, 

or contracts. No NASA funding will be transferred to organizations submitting a Statement of Interest. 

Organizations will be responsible for financing their own activities, including the development of the 

Statement of Interest.

Question: When will NASA respond to my Statement of Interest?

Answer: The interested party should anticipate receiving an acknowledgement of the Statement of 

Interest within 3-5 business days. NASA’s review and disposition of Statement of Interest submissions is 

dependent upon the complexity of the Statement of Interest and requested level of NASA in-kind support. 

NASA reserves the right to pursue opportunities with all, some, or none of the Statements of Interest.
Question: What is NASA STEM looking for in a potential Partner?

Answer: NASA prioritizes partnerships that, to the extent possible, engage U.S. students and teachers in 

partnership activities at no cost and that make partnership materials publicly and freely accessible across 

a variety of platforms. NASA STEM further prioritizes partnership activities that increase diversity, 

broaden participation, and include opportunities for students from groups traditionally underrepresented 

and underserved to participate in STEM (i.e., women, persons with disabilities, and Blacks or African 

Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, and American Indians or Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians or Other 

Pacific Islanders). 

This opportunity is not intended for: 

• requests for deviations from NASA’s Media Usage Guidelines

• requests for use of NASA identifiers, including the NASA Insignia (“meatball” logo)

• merchandising requests

• funding requests

Question: Where can I find more information about NASA media usage guidelines, regulations on 

merchandising requests, and regulations on advertising requests?

Answer: For more information about NASA media usage guidelines, regulations on merchandising 

requests, and regulations on advertising requests, please visit: 

• NASA Media Usage Guidelines

• NASA Regulations for Merchandising Requests 

• NASA Regulations for Advertising Requests

Question: Are there other ways to work with NASA STEM?

Answer: NASA uses various types of public announcements to communicate information about available 

assets. These formal communications, including Announcement for Proposal, Request for Information 

and Notice of Availability can be found on the Contract Opportunities website, Sam.gov. For information 

on grant and cooperative agreement opportunities, visit NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated 

Review and Evaluation System