Providing Support for Faculty Sponsored Research

Since 2005, the U-M Museum of Natural History has partnered with U-M faculty to support more than 80 funded National Science Foundation awards. With our diverse audiences, new interactive spaces, and experienced professional staff, the museum makes an excellent Broader Impacts partner.

We want to help you tell your story.

In 2019, the museum completed its move to the new Biological Sciences Building, with innovative exhibits and programs that keep pace with current scientific thought and inspire audiences to engage in explorations of scientific research and discovery. The museum welcomes more than 150,000 annual visitors, including campus, community, and K-12 audiences.

With free admission, the museum is open and accessible to everyone.

The museum offers a variety of project ideas for U-M faculty Broader Impacts, including exhibits, K-12 programs, public programs, multimedia experiences in our Planetarium & Dome Theater, and science communication training.

How to Work with Us

Due to the high volume of faculty requests for museum Broader Impacts partnerships, we are prioritizing NSF-CAREER proposals over other types, and implemented a new process in 2023 for working with faculty on NSF-CAREER proposals. The museum will prioritize partners whose projects most strongly align with the museum’s mission as capacity allows.

For NSF-CAREER proposals: Potential NSF-CAREER BI partners will need to have met with the museum team and submitted a simple BI partnership application prior to April 25, 2025. After this deadline, we will only be able to accommodate requests as program capacity allows. Completing the application does not guarantee a partnership.

Contact the museum to schedule an initial meeting. At this meeting, our team will learn more about your research and discuss potential programming and/or exhibit opportunities. After the initial meeting, we will send you more detailed information about the discussed project possibilities as well as a short application to be a Broader Impacts partner. The museum application deadline for 2025 NSF-CAREER proposals is April 25, 2025.

The museum will notify faculty as to whether we will be able to partner on their Broader Impacts by May 1, 2025. Once selected as a partner, PIs will work with museum staff to outline their project plans. We will then provide a detailed budget and project description for review before June 30, 2025. Once approved by the PI, the museum will write a letter of collaboration.

For all other proposals: Contact the museum at least 2-3 months before your proposal deadline. We’ll schedule an initial meeting with you to discuss what types of programs and/or exhibit elements might be a good fit for museum audiences and your Broader Impacts goals. Due to high demand for BI partnerships, the available offerings may be limited.

Once we’ve agreed upon a project plan, museum staff will create a detailed budget proposal for you to review and upon approval, provide a letter of collaboration.

Due to the high volume of faculty requests for museum Broader Impacts partnerships, we are prioritizing NSF-CAREER proposals over other types, and implemented a new process in 2023 for working with faculty on NSF-CAREER proposals.  The museum will prioritize partners whose projects most strongly align with the museum’s mission as capacity allows.

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