WGAP

Womens and Girls in Astronomy Program, 2025 solicitation

12
May

$2,000 USD Mini-Grant for Women, Girls, and Underrepresented Genders in Astronomy

!!! We are currently reviewing the proposals. Selected candidates will be announced during the first week of August 2025 !!! 

Implemented by the North American Regional Office of Astronomy for Development (NA-ROAD) and the Office of Astronomy for Development  (IAU-OAO), the Women and Girls in Astronomy Project (WGAP) will target aspiring astronomers and current professionals alike, establishing a network to uplift, educate, connect with, and provide opportunities to womens, girls and underrepresented genders in Astronomy. 

Women, especially Black, Indigenous and Latina women, “remain under-represented in physics and astronomy”, according to the American Institute of Physics’ 2019 report on Women in Physics and Astronomy. Through WGAP we aim to improve STEM equity and representation, inspiring diverse audiences, and advancing resilience in communities across the NA-ROAD countries and abroad.  

Ten unique astronomy projects will be selected and awarded $2,000 USD mini-grants. The projects must take place in Canada, United States, the Caribbean, Mexico, or Greenland. Projects are encouraged to approach astronomy from a unique lens, including, but not limited to, scientific, social, technical, cultural, and artistic perspectives. 

The NA-ROAD would like to see a variety of projects, targeting, for example, young girls in the Caribbean, early career women in Mexico, retired women in Canada or a collaborative project between two countries or two organizations are welcome too. Projects need to be grounded in the community’s needs, using astronomy as a tool for development targeting at least one of the five NA-ROAD strategic goals. Projects need to be completed by December 1, 2025. The projects can be activities, programs, workshops, exhibits, websites, events, to name a few. 

The WGAP program starter on 2023 with the first cohort of 10 projects selected across the NA ROAD territory, today the program is opening the third call of proposals, expanding a network of formal and informal educators, astronomers and amateur astronomers, college students and community leaders, all connected by one common goal, the use of astronomy for development. We hope this program continues for more years to come. 

Project proposals will be accepted until Sunday, June 15th at 11:59 your local time. The full details can be found in English, Spanish, and French in the images below. Proposals can be submitted in any of these languages through, which includes four key questions to answer about the proposed project.

To learn about previous projects funded, please visit the WGAP 2023 and 2024 report, respectively: 

For questions, please send an email to wgap_at_aui.edu. Be sure to share with your networks, colleagues, students, or any individual you believe would be a great fit for the WGAP mini-grant!

Yasmin Catricheo, NA-ROAD Chair 

Desmond Wysenyuy, NA-ROAD Program Coordinator

Laura Trouille, NA-ROAD Governing Council 

Tim Spuck, NA-ROAD Governing Council