Opportunities For Individual Donors

Audacious Success for an Historic Astronomical Effort

Funding the scientific research for a $1 billion telescope survey is no small matter. Thousands of researchers require funding not only for their own inquiries, but to train the next generation of scientists. “Audacious”, rather than “ambitious” is the word we choose for the efforts LSST Corporation is undertaking.

Every dollar you donate will directly support LSSTC activities aimed to transform the scientific and societal impact of LSST.  Our current fundraising priorities are student-focused programs and unrestricted grants to catalyze scientific discoveries with LSST data.  Any amount will help!

• The LSSTC Undergraduate Student Program engages a diverse set of undergraduates into LSST research opportunities and networking opportunities, to set them on the road to being a future leader.  Students commit their summers to doing innovative research that wouldn't otherwise be possible.  They are invited to attend the Rubin Observatory LSST Project and Community Workshop where they have the opportunity to interact with Rubin Observatory LSST scientists and engineers, attend student-oriented breakouts, tour the University of Arizona Caris mirror lab, participate in the opening plenary and present their LSST-related summer research at a dedicated poster session.

• The Enabling Science Grants Program supports the community by providing modest funding awards for competitively selected projects that would otherwise fall outside of the traditional federal funding supplied by the National Science Foundation. Seed funding for science is a core focus for this program.  Initially supported by gifts from Microsoft visionaries Bill Gates and Charles Simonyi, the flexible and innovative small grants program has proven time and again to be a necessary and well received boost to the LSST science community. The current need for this program is a million dollars per year.

Investment in LSSTC’s future will ensure the best outcome for a goldmine of data analytics, student engagement, and discovery from the Vera Rubin Observatory.