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Cornell University

The 2030 Project Fast Grants - Request for Proposals

Application Cycle Closed

Timeline
2030 Project Background

2025 AI & Climate Fast Grants: Research-to-Impact Accelerator

Overview

In order to mobilize Cornell to support ambitious climate action in this decisive decade, Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability, The 2030 Project: A Cornell Climate Initiative and the Cornell AI Initiative are issuing a special request for proposals (RFP) for fast grant research-to-impact funding.

This round of fast grants will be focused on projects that will support teams interested in pursuing ambitious proposals at the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and climate science. Building upon Cornell’s established leadership in addressing critical issues such as energy decarbonization, sustainable agriculture, climate adaptation, and biodiversity, this funding opportunity seeks to catalyze advancements that (1) drive greater energy efficiency and sustainability within the AI stack and (2) better integrate cutting-edge AI with environmental research to develop innovative solutions and advance education. 

This RFP is intended to support faculty in responding to external competitive calls for proposals or capitalize on synergistic opportunities to amplify reach and impact. We seek to enable faculty to collaborate across disciplines in developing interdisciplinary and competitive proposals for external funding that leverage AI and machine learning technologies against climate change challenges. Funding per research team is expected to be in the $10,000-$25,000 range.

Examples of allowable expenses include travel, data collection, workshops, professional writing support, strategic planning consultations, and website development or enhancement to better showcase interdisciplinary collaborations and strengthen the team’s competitive position for external funding opportunities. Salary support for tenure-track faculty is unallowable.

Selected teams may also request proposal development support from a research development professional from Cornell’s AI Initiative or other teams around Cornell.

Timeline

  • July 21: Request for Joint Proposals opens
  • September 29, 5:00 p.m. ET: Full proposals due
  • October 24: Funding decisions announced

Eligibility

Cornell Atkinson funds are subject to the same restrictions as any other university research funding. Applications are open to any Cornell University-eligible Principal Investigator.

Proposal Requirements

Please submit your short proposal via this online form. Succinct feedback will be offered for unselected proposals.

Research Themes

Projects of interest will advance the development of technology, policy framework, or practice and address one or more of the following themes:

  1. Decarbonization of the AI Stack
  2. AI Policy, Governance, and Infrastructure Transparency
  3. AI for Climate Challenges (Example: The 2030 Project’s “Seven Solvable Problems”)

External Funding Opportunity

Project proposals must identify at least one specific external funding opportunity. This RFP will position research teams to submit new research proposals to external public agencies, foundations, or private-sector partners to inform long-term, large-scale efforts.

Examples of relevant RFPs and funders include:

Project proposals will be particularly strong if they do one or more of the following:

  • Provide a convincing plan for submitting a proposal to a particular external funding opportunity.
  • Target non-federal funding sources such as RFPs run by private corporations, foundations, or other institutions.
  • Develop cross-disciplinary collaborations across various colleges or schools within Cornell.
  • Build new or deepen existing partnerships with key non-academic partners, such as a government, company, or organization to turn research into impact.
  • Advance a new entrepreneurial endeavor or enable technology commercialization.
  • Articulate the quantifiable, scalable potential of proposed work (i.e. .5 billion tons or more of annual emission reductions or removal; projects that impact >50,000 people, globally scalable to billions of tons and millions of people).

How to Apply

Please submit your short proposal by September 29, 2025. Succinct feedback may be offered for unselected proposals.

Format Requirements

  • PDF format
  • 11-point font
  • 1-inch margins
  • Single-spaced
  • 2 pages maximum

Required Sections

  1. Research Problem & AI-Climate Intersection
    1. Specific climate challenge to be addressed (decarbonization, adaptation, sustainability, etc.)
    2. How AI/ML technologies will be leveraged to solve this problem
    3. Alignment with one or more research themes: Decarbonization of AI Stack, AI Policy/Governance, or AI for Climate Challenges
  2. External Funding Strategy
    1. Primary target funding opportunity (specific RFP, funder, deadline)
    2. How this fast grant will position your team competitively
    3. Additional funding opportunities being considered
    4. Timeline for external proposal submission
  3. Project Activities & Deliverables
    1. Specific activities to be undertaken with fast grant funds
    2. Key deliverables and timeline (by quarter)
    3. Expected outputs that strengthen external funding application
  4. Team & Collaboration
    1. Principal investigator(s) and key team members
    2. Interdisciplinary nature of collaboration (across colleges/schools)
    3. External partners (government, industry, NGOs) if applicable
    4. Any entrepreneurial or commercialization components
  5. Impact Potential & Scalability
    1. Quantifiable impact potential (emissions reductions, people affected, etc.)
    2. Scalability of proposed solution
    3. How research will translate to real-world impact

Budget and Justification (required)

Use this budget template | Save budget as “2026-CLIMATE-CU-YourLastName.XLSX”.
Use this budget justification template | include budget template at the end of your proposal PDF packet

  • The Excel budget should be submitted as a separate file when you submit your proposal.
  • The budget justification should be included at the end of your proposal. The budget justification does not count against your proposal page count.
  • Please follow the budget and justification templates carefully and provide the requested level of detail.
  • Indicative budget guidance (not an exhaustive list – please contact us with specific questions):
    • Funds may be used to cover: personnel (excluding faculty salary), travel, supplies, equipment, and publication fees (up to $3,000).
    • For Cornell PIs: Please note that Cornell Atkinson requires a cost share for tuition in line with sponsored research awards such as NSF. If graduate student tuition is built into the budget, the total tuition cost incurred must be cost-shared equally by Cornell Atkinson and your department or unit.
    • Funds may not be used to cover faculty salary (including summer salary), laptops (unless it is dedicated to project work only), and staff bonuses.
    • This is not an exhaustive list – please contact us with specific questions.
  • For Cornell PIs: Cornell Atkinson will transfer allocated funds to an account in the Cornell proposer’s department. These funds have no indirect cost recovery associated with them.

Selection Process

Selection will be based on the consistency of proposals with the ambitions of the Fast Grants described above. Proposals will be evaluated by a group of internal and external stakeholders, with the final decision being made by 2030 Project leadership.

Evaluation Criteria

  • Alignment with AI-climate intersection themes
  • Strength of external funding strategy
  • Technical merit and innovation potential
  • Implementation feasibility
  • Scalable impact potential
  • Cross-disciplinary collaboration strength

Awardee Responsibilities

Successful Fast Grant teams will:

  • Periodically meet with the Cornell Atkinson leadership to discuss project progress, including  with regards to research, funding  applications submitted, project outputs and outcomes, partnership development , follow-on funding raised, and project milestones met.
  • Submit periodic reports describing progress towards each metric of success identified in the proposal.
  • Respond to requests for information (including through surveys or presentations) about the longer-term impacts of the Fast Grant after the funding ends.
  • Acknowledge The 2030 Project: A Cornell Climate Initiative and Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability in all presentations, reports, and publications stemming at least in part from this funding. Guidance for acknowledging your affiliation with Cornell Atkinson can be found on our website and will be included in your Memorandum of Understanding.

More Information

If you have additional questions, please email atkinson@cornell.edu.

Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability is the hub of collaborative sustainability research at Cornell University, forging vital connections among researchers, students, staff, and external partners. The center’s funding and programming accelerate groundbreaking research within and across all of Cornell’s colleges and schools. In turn, the center is the university’s home to bold ideas and powerful new models that ensure people and the planet not only survive, but thrive.

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