Illuminate Fund for Citizen Scientists

Empowering the next generation of citizen scientists through education, technology, and public engagement.

Illuminate supports non-commercial and open-source projects that bridge the gap between public understanding and the frontier of science and technology. We foster innovative partnerships between researchers, artists, educators, and engineers in order to democratize science and make vital functional literacy skills more accessible. We fund the development of engaging classroom tools, interactive platforms, and science education initiatives—from generative art exploring quantum computing to social networks for citizen scientists documenting research fraud. Illuminate empowers creators who make complex topics meaningful and who equip learners of all ages and backgrounds with the actionable skills needed to thrive in a knowledge-driven future.

domain:ai-technologydomain:science-research

Eligibility

Illuminate funds non-commercial and open-source projects promoting functional literacy through accessible education and citizen science. To qualify, projects must meet the following eligibility requirements:
- Innovate pedagogically using participatory methods like software, games, apps, tools, or installations to teach STEM concepts.
- Focus on public STEM engagement through initiatives like building makerspaces, hosting citizen science workshops, or founding crowdsourced research platforms.
- Address emerging or high-impact fields within STEM covering topics like climate change, drug discovery, synthetic biology, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, or nuclear fusion.
- Be accessible outside of traditional academic institutions, including to K-12 and adult learners.
- Demonstrate clear plans for outreach, education, and impact.
- For season 5, all projects must fall within one of the fund's seasonal tranches: 1) Environmental Stewardship, 2) Virtual Ecology, or 3) Closing the Skills Gap.

Projects (45)

35 submitted · 9 funded · 1 curated

Project	Status	Raised
Gaia Sound Temple	funded	$5,056
Paramoverso	funded	$937
Escher, Crochet, and the Geometry of Living Systems	funded	$0
DeSci Reviews	funded	$1
FutureZoo	funded	$215,046
Empowering Youth Through Digital Skills & Innovation	funded	$6,911
Sharkwatch Cozumel	funded	$9,112
The Acoustic Power of Reef	funded	$2,463
adopt a tree	funded	$14,777
BÚAN_fund	curated	$0
Locus	submitted	$8
Coralverse - Reef Revival	submitted	$3,709
Mirroring	submitted	$236
W8W Creative Hub	submitted	$86
LunCoSim - Opensource Collaborative Space Missions Simulator	submitted	$393
DeSci Asia	submitted	$796
Make.DIY	submitted	$0
Criptec	submitted	$0
Follow the Black Hare	submitted	$0
Three Ears Attenuation Residency Site (TEARS)	submitted	$0
Regen Reef: Fish thriveness	submitted	$50
Sky Bravo's Fantastical Showbus	submitted	$0
RooTed	submitted	$8,986
Mortech Regen Hub	submitted	$3,037
XR LATAM - Study of the Latam Ecosystem	submitted	$5,387
Crescendo AI	submitted	$0
Marine coral nursery and coral rehabilitation project in Cozumel, México	submitted	$10
Web3Radio.it	submitted	$0
Spark - Decentralized Science Funding	submitted	$120
NEXAVERSE: Powering Freedom Through Decentralized Work	submitted	$1,017
Let it Bee	submitted	$0
Neurodevelop: Neuromodulation for everyone	submitted	$1,790
Solar clean water	submitted	$765
Save The Chameleons	submitted	$0
Guardians of the Grasslands: Bird Conservation in Mexico's Communities	submitted	$90
Between Concrete and Claw: Community Heritage in the Human–Wild Encounter	submitted	$0
GreenSofa_TW	submitted	$313
Feynman WTF	submitted	$123,572
Manta Rays in the Mexican Caribbean	submitted	$0
International Artists Project	submitted	$462
Revolucciones, science and culture in diverse voices	submitted	$0
DIY Nuclear Physics Particle Accelerator	submitted	$23,923
Sonoran Sharks: Local Knowledge for Marine Conservation in Bahía de Kino	submitted	$0
Greenpill Cape Town	submitted	$1,539
Akiya Collective	submitted	$0