CLOSING SOON03
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 (telescope-time)
worldwide investigator; APT required; funding rules separate
up to 7,700 observing hours; later STScI grant funding is separate
investigators of any nationality or affiliation may submit; no institutional endorsement for proposal submission; PI + required APT submission
deadline: 2026-09-30T20:00:00-04:00 - checked 2026-09-18 by mira
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 deadlines
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)
individual; participating host required
up to $492,000 over 3 years
planetary astronomy; PhD received/expected 2025-01-01 through 2027-12-31; limited family/medical-leave exception; participating host + faculty mentor
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; up to 3 ranked hosts with separate rationales; mentor; 2 recommendation letters
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; institutional base; training availability; selected track; workshop capacity
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)
mostly RAS Fellows; Education & Outreach open to anyone
study/research projects normally £250-£5,000; other categories vary
pilot continuous scheme; complete eligible applications are grouped at four annual assessment cut-offs and later applications roll forward
next assessment cut-off: 2026-09-30 - checked 2026-09-19 by mira
Eligibility notes & source conditions
eligibility: most categories require the applicant to be an RAS Fellow applying in their own name; Education & Outreach is open to anyone; summer undergraduate bursaries are a named exception where a Fellow applies for a studentno-go: treating the cut-off as a hard close, non-Fellow applying to a Fellow-only category, applying on another person's behalf outside an exception, or missing matching-funding evidence where requiredconfirm: category; Fellow status/exception; amount and matching-funding evidence; activity date; correct round; current form and category rules
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 (NNH26ZDA001N)
NASA SMD (grant)
institution-required
dozens of program elements
APRA/ADAP/TCAN/FINESST and more get dates when it opens
no current dated window - checked 2026-09-12 by mira
Eligibility notes & source conditions
note: Highest-value watch item in US space science.posted on NSPIRES, status Pending with no dates or notices as of 2026-09-12proposals submitted by authorized officials of proposing organizations; FINESST graduate awards flow via universities - individuals cannot submit directly
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