More than £160,000 in grants have been awarded by the Royal Astronomical Society in 2024.
In recent years the Society has been able to support projects ranging from an educational seismology network in Scotland, to a travelling observatory bringing practical astronomy to schools in rural Nepal.
A total of £122,761 in Small Grants and £38,570 in Education and Outreach Grants were handed out in 2024, compared to £110,338 and £25,096 the previous year.
Professor Andy Newsam, the panel chair for the Education and Outreach Grants, said: “The Education and Outreach Grants are one of the most powerful and flexible ways that the RAS can both spread the good word about astronomy and geophysics and, even more importantly, use the excitement and appeal of our universe to make a difference to the lives of thousands of people.
“The imagination and creativity we find in the applications for each grant round are amazing, and the variety a continuing source of inspiration.”
New audiences have been reached through art exhibitions covering anything from the night sky to astrobiology, children have been educated and entertained by exoplanet card games, and the Society has helped to find new ways of sharing key information about the challenges of satellite mega-constellations.
“The scope and diversity of applications for each highly over-subscribed round make the decisions difficult as many good projects have to be rejected,” Professor Newsam added, “but whether it is a few hundred pounds to take an inventive idea and make it a reality, or thousands of pounds to support a large, international project, we can be confident that the support of the RAS through these grants is really making a difference.”
There were 157 applications in total for Small Grants this year and 50 for Education and Outreach. Of these, 110 of the Small Grant applications were in the February round and 47 in August, while 23 of the Education and Outreach grant applications were in February and 27 in August.
In the February round, £165,971 in Small Grants was requested and £88,757 awarded, while £86,324 in Education and Outreach Grants was sought and £17,625 handed out.
This compared to £78,084 and £34,004 and £108,831 and £20,945 respectively in August. There was a budget allocation of £120,000 for Small Grants and £30,000 for Education and Outreach Grants.
For more information about the grants that the RAS offers, click here.