CLOSED03
ESO Period 118 Observing Proposals
European Southern Observatory (telescope-time)
any group or individual; PI + current team accounts required
observing time, May 2027-April 2028; not grant funding
any group or individual may submit; one responsible PI; all team members need current ESO User Portal profiles; submit through p1
deadline: 2026-09-22T12:00:00+02:00 - checked 2026-09-21 by mira
Eligibility notes & source conditions
late-breaking: MUSE WFM-AO Phase 1 no longer requires specifying tip-tilt stars (ESO update 2026-09-14)no-go: missing current team accounts, late/non-p1 submission, disqualifying dual-anonymous/DPR breach, unavailable instrument/mode, or unresolved feasibility/visibility/overhead constraintsconfirm: PI/Co-Is + profiles; instrument/mode; visibility; exposure + overheads; observing/time constraints; keywords; anonymisation; DPR duty; programme rules; late-breaking updates
CLOSING SOON04
JWST Cycle 6 Call for Proposals (GO/Survey/Archival)
STScI / NASA / ESA / CSA (observing + archival research)
worldwide investigator; APT required; funding rules separate
GO/Survey: observing time; AR: potential research funding for eligible U.S. investigators
any nationality or affiliation may submit without institutional endorsement; AR proposals seek funding to analyze existing public JWST data, with a later budget and unverified direct-payee route
deadline: 2026-09-30T20:00:00-04:00 - deadline, no-endorsement submission rule and AR funding category rechecked 2026-09-23 by Mira; other details checked 2026-09-18
Eligibility notes & source conditions
no-go: late without a pre-deadline granted extension, missing PI/APT submission, or treating proposal access as proof of grant-funding eligibility; bilateral U.S.-PRC proposals cannot receive later financial grant fundingconfirm: current APT version; proposal type/attachments; PI/Co-I and Administrative PI rules; U.S. investigator/institutional budget route if funding is sought; PRC affiliation restriction; internal deadlinesArchival Research proposals explicitly request funding to analyze existing JWST data. Successful science proposals receive a later budget invitation; neither permission to submit nor an AR funding category proves an award or direct payment to an unaffiliated person.
CLOSING SOON05
NOIRLab 2027A Time Allocation
NSF NOIRLab (telescope-time)
all astronomers and students; route depends on facility
observing time, February-July 2027; not a research grant
all astronomers and students may apply; non-U.S.-institution teams need a U.S.-facility justification; Gemini uses PIT, other standard proposals use NOIRLab's web route
deadline: 2026-09-30T23:59:00-07:00 - checked 2026-09-18 by mira
Eligibility notes & source conditions
no-go: late or wrong-route submission, non-anonymous required sections, altered template font size, unavailable 2027A facility/instrument, or missing non-U.S.-institution justificationconfirm: status + institution country; facility/instrument; TAS vs Gemini PIT; account; anonymization/template; feasibility; non-U.S. justification; student/advisor form rules; travel/support responsibility
OPEN06
NSF MPS Astronomical Sciences Research Programs
U.S. NSF (grant)
eligible organization required; unaffiliated individuals excluded
varies; current solicitation estimates 140 awards across 3 program areas, subject to funds
eligible organization submits; no PI or proposal-count limits; unaffiliated individuals cannot submit
target date: 2026-11-16 - checked 2026-09-19 by mira; proposals accepted anytime, but later proposals may move to the next fiscal year
Eligibility notes & source conditions
no-go: unaffiliated submitting proposer, superseded AAG/window rules, treating the target date as a hard close, or wrong route for a separate collaborative submissionconfirm: PAPPG organization eligibility + current version; Research.gov vs Grants.gov; separate-collaboration route; program fit; fiscal-year timing; budget and organization approvalscorrection: NSF 26-522, posted 2026-08-17, replaces NSF 22-624 (AAG), NSF 19-605, and NSF 22-627
OPEN07
51 Pegasi b Postdoctoral Fellowship
Heising-Simons Foundation (fellowship)
host-based fellowship; submission timing unverified
up to $492,000 over 3 years
planetary astronomy; recorded PhD window 2025-01-01 through 2027-12-31 with limited leave exception; fellowship research at a participating host with faculty mentorship
deadline: 2026-10-01T14:00:00-07:00 - checked 2026-09-17 by mira
Eligibility notes & source conditions
no-go: degree window, planetary scope, or host requirement fails without approved exceptionconfirm: PhD date/exception; ranked host choices and rationales; mentor; 2 recommendation letters under the current applicationsubmission-stage caveat (checked 2026-09-23): the reviewed Foundation and host summaries describe a host-based fellowship but do not establish that a host or mentor agreement must already be secured before applying. Check current guidelines and application before ruling out an unaffiliated applicant.current-cycle amount (checked 2026-09-23 by Mira): the Foundation’s July 2026 announcement says up to $492,000 for the 2026–27 call; its general overview still says $450,000. Use the current-cycle terms before relying on either figure.
OPEN08
Astronova Fellowship 2026-2027
Heising-Simons Foundation (fellowship)
individual; selected host required
amount not stated on reviewed current-cycle sources
postdoctoral astronomical-instrumentation scientist; PhD received/expected 2022-01-01 through 2027-12-31, with limited case-by-case leave exception; one of 6 named hosts
deadline: 2026-10-02T14:00:00-07:00 - checked 2026-09-17 by mira
Eligibility notes & source conditions
no-go: degree window fails without approved exception, project is not qualifying photon instrumentation, or host is outside the named sixconfirm: PhD date/exception; instrumentation scope; host + mentor; up to 2 host rationales; recommendation constraints
OPEN09
ALMA Ambassadors Cycle 14
NRAO/NAASC (training + community delivery + grant)
North American institutional base required
up to $10,000 research grant; training travel/workshop support
postdoc, senior graduate student, or early-career researcher at a North American institution; must attend training and host ALMA workshops
deadline: 2026-10-02T17:00:00-04:00 - checked 2026-09-17 by mira
Eligibility notes & source conditions
not unrestricted funding: award includes proposal-preparation and/or data-processing workshop deliveryconfirm: career stage; North American institutional base; training availability; selected track; workshop capacitythe current NRAO program page offers up to $10,000 for selected ambassadors’ research, with travel/student support alternatives if the monetary grant cannot be received; it does not establish direct personal payee mechanics (checked 2026-09-23).
OPEN10
XMM-Newton AO-26 Observing Proposals
European Space Agency (telescope-time)
worldwide proposer; ESA-Cosmos/XIPS required
observing time; do not imply grant funding
proposers worldwide; Phase I must use XIPS with ESA-Cosmos credentials; validated proposal + scientific-justification PDF required by deadline
deadline: 2026-10-09T12:00:00Z - checked 2026-09-18 by mira
Eligibility notes & source conditions
no-go: non-XIPS format, incomplete deadline submission, policy violation, or observation not visible in the call periodconfirm: account access; category/page limit; PDF ≤10 MB and font ≥11 pt; visibility; duplication/data rights; technical feasibility; separate US funding conditions if relevant
OPEN12
RAS Grants for Studies
Royal Astronomical Society (grant)
RAS Fellow for most; non-Fellow Education & Outreach conditional
study/research projects normally £250-£5,000; other categories vary
the applying guide lists four assessment cut-offs, but other RAS pages list two deadlines; confirm the current category and form
possible 2026-09-30 assessment cut-off per applying guide; official RAS pages conflict - rechecked 2026-09-23 by mira
Eligibility notes & source conditions
eligibility: most categories require a RAS Fellow applying for themselves. The applying guide says Education & Outreach is open to anyone, but the criteria footnote limits non-Fellows by university employment or PhD status. Confirm which rule applies. Summer bursaries are a separate named exception.no-go: treating a possible cut-off as confirmed, ignoring non-Fellow Education & Outreach restrictions, applying to a Fellow-only category without membership, or treating own-name application as proof of direct personal paymentpayment: the applying guide lists receipts or audited-body invoices and an outcome report before payment; whether this applies to every category or permits personal payment remains unresolvedconfirm: exact category; Fellow membership; university staff or PhD status for a non-Fellow E&O applicant; current deadline/form; matching funds; whether an unaffiliated awardee can submit eligible receipts and personally receive payment
OPEN15
2027 NASA Hubble Fellowship Program (NHFP)
NASA / STScI (individual fellowship)
any nationality; recent doctorate; eligible U.S. host
up to three years
independent research contributing to NASA Astrophysics; theory, observation, experimentation, or instrument development
application deadline: 2026-10-28T19:00:00-04:00 (23:00 UTC); reference letters due 2026-11-04 - checked 2026-09-19 by mira
Eligibility notes & source conditions
current NASA call: any nationality; doctoral requirements completed on/after 2023-01-01 or before fellowship start; tenure at eligible U.S. hostno-go: degree timing fails, proposed work does not contribute to NASA Astrophysics, host is ineligible/unavailable, or required application/letters miss their separate deadlinesconfirm: live 2027 AO/application form; degree date; host availability + employment compliance; host caps; research fit; references; applicant-specific work authorization constraints
OPEN16
NSF Astronomy & Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowships (AAPF)
NSF (individual fellowship)
U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident; recent PhD; eligible host
$110,000 annual fellowship amount; up to three years
candidate submits directly; integrated astronomy/astrophysics research and education at eligible host
submission window: 2026-08-15 through 2026-10-15, due 5 p.m. submitting organization's local time - checked 2026-09-19 by mira
Eligibility notes & source conditions
no-go: citizenship/residency fails, degree timing fails, host category is ineligible, or required mentor/host letter is missingconfirm: citizenship/residency; doctoral award/completion date; research + education plan; mentor; host category; signed host letter; applicant-specific local deadline timedeadline is location-relative: do not infer one UTC instant or add a global-time ICS event without the submitting location
WATCH11
AAS Grants (6 programs)
American Astronomical Society (umbrella)
program-specific; membership/institution rules vary
amount, applicant type, and timing vary by program
umbrella includes research, travel, meeting-linked dependent care, professional-development, and leadership programs
no current dated umbrella window - checked 2026-09-19 by mira
Eligibility notes & source conditions
no-go: treating the umbrella as one open call or carrying an expired annual/meeting deadline forwardconfirm: exact program; current application state/deadline; membership or U.S.-institution rule; meeting/travel linkage; amount and eligible costscurrent examples: Chrétien 2026 annual date passed; International Travel Sep 1 date passed; FAMOUS says closed; dependent care is meeting-linked; EPD full-consideration date passed
WATCH14
NASA ROSES-2026 omnibus (watch)
NASA SMD (grant)
eligibility not yet verifiable
2026 call details not verified
NASA research funding watch; program elements and dates require a published current call
no verified 2026 call or dated window - NASA status and NSPIRES lookup checked 2026-09-23 by Mira
Eligibility notes & source conditions
NASA’s funding-status page still names ROSES-2025 as its current omnibus and anticipates ROSES-2026; that page may be stale. The linked ROSES2026 NSPIRES lookup showed no solicitation details on 2026-09-23.Do not carry forward prior-year program elements, dates or institutional rules as verified 2026 terms. Recheck NASA and NSPIRES for the current call before screening eligibility or funding.
BETWEEN WINDOWS13
Gene Shoemaker NEO Grants
The Planetary Society (grant)
no institution needed
$585k awarded to 52 astronomers since 1997 (per-grant varies)
amateur AND professional asteroid observers, worldwide
no current dated window - checked 2026-09-12 by mira
Eligibility notes & source conditions
note: 2025 winners announced; next RFP watch. Strong entity-less astronomy proof.
CLOSED01
IXPE General Observer - Cycle 4 (ROSES-2025 D.3E)
NASA SMD via NSPIRES (telescope-time)
eligibility unclear
observing time
the only X-ray polarimetry mission flying; Phase-1 proposal
deadline: 2026-09-17 - checked 2026-09-13 by mira
Eligibility notes & source conditions
deadline date 2026-09-17 confirmed; no time stated - date-only, do not assumeinstitutional endorsement requirement remained unclear; deadline passed September 17, 2026 - marked closed September 17, 2026
CLOSED02
NICER General Observer - Cycle 9 (ROSES-2025 D.3E)
NASA SMD via NSPIRES (archival research)
mixed: Phase 1 individual; Phase 2 institution
archival-data analysis only
X-ray timing data from the ISS; Phase-1 proposal
deadline: 2026-09-17T16:30:00-04:00 - checked 2026-09-13 by mira
Eligibility notes & source conditions
deadline 17 September 2026, 4:30 PM Eastern / 1:30 PM PacificPhase 1 did not require NASA institutional endorsement; any Phase 2 grant needs a recipient institution; deadline passed September 17, 2026 - marked closed September 17, 2026