bridging the gap between art and science.
Commitment
At Proctor Foundation for Art and Science, we are dedicated to bringing community college students and educators on experiential journeys of scientific research and exploration. Our focus is on the BIPOC community: those who identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color.
Mission Statement
Founded by Dr. Sian Leo Proctor, the first Black woman to pilot a spacecraft, our mission is to encourage Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color (BIPOC) to use their knowledge and skills in careers that advance human spaceflight. We provide experiential learning opportunities focused on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
Space For Humanity
ZeroG Experience
I teamed up with Space for Humanity to be a mentor on their ZeroG flight on April 13, 2025. Together, I worked with one lucky university student on an experience of a lifetime. Not only did we experience ZeroG together but we also co-created an original poem together. Check back for here for future student engagement opportunities.
Space Camp
& Art
Proctor Foundation is partnering with Space Camp to provide scholarships to Community College Students. Applicants must identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color (BIPOC) and special consideration is given to students majoring in the arts or humanities. See below for full list of qualifications.
Proctor Foundation is also providing Space Camp scholarships to K-12 educators and Community College Faculty. Applicants must identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color and be employed full-time. See below for full list of qualifications.
Dr. Proctor along with her Inspiration4 crew members were inducted into the Space Camp Hall of Fame in 2022. The Art of Space Camp will take place during the Space Camp Inspiration4 week each summer.
applications
Applications for the Space Camp Scholarship 2026 will open soon!!
Space Camp is June 21-23, 2025 (4 days) *Hall of Fame Weekend*
The applications will close at the end of February each year. Students and faculty from across the United States are eligible to apply with special consideration going to students and faculty from the Maricopa Community College District.
Coming Soon!
Applications close on March 1, 2026
Student Eligibility
Students must be 18 years or older and enrolled full-time as a community college student.
Students must identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or Person of Color (BIPOC).
Students can be any major but special consideration will be given to students majoring in art or humanities subjects such as but not limited to art, literature, graphic design, music, poetry, creative writing, film or television production, immersive media, journalism, women’s studies, or gender studies.
Educator Eligibility
Educator must be either a full-time k-12 teacher or full-time informal educator at a museum or science center, or a full-time employee at a non-profit supporting educators in the state of Arizona.
Community college faculty must be full-time at an accredited community college in the United States.
Educator must identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or Person of Color (BIPOC).
Educators can be from any discipline but special consideration will be given to educators who teach art or humanities subjects such as but not limited to art, literature, graphic design, music, poetry, creative writing, film or television production, immersive media, journalism, women’s studies, or gender studies
Million Dollar Teacher Project Partnership!
We are now also accepting applications from BIPOC K-12 Teachers from Arizona through our new partnership with the Million Dollar Teacher Project. Educators, when filling out the application please select the community college faculty selection.
Past Space Camp Scholarship Recipients
Donate to the Proctor Foundation Space Camp Scholarship!
Your tax-deductible donation will go a long way toward furthering our work, outreach initiatives, and award programs.
We need your help raising $50,000 annually to send 16 community college students and faculty to Space Camp. Please help increase diversity in the space industry by bridging the gap between art and science.
Donate Now
You can make a 1-time or recurring donation directly to Proctor Foundation through our partnership with SpaceKind Foundation. Thank you for the support!
sponsor
Want to help at a larger scale? If you see ways that we can support one another, please contact us about becoming an organizational sponsor.
**Remember to make sure the Proctor Foundation is listed in the dropdown menu! All donations are directly to Space Camp and are tax deductible. Thank you for your support.
Founded by Astronaut & Artist
Dr. Sian Leo Proctor
Dr. Sian Leo Proctor is a Geoscience Professor at the Maricopa Community Colleges, an Afrofuturism Space Artist, and an Astronaut. She is the Chief Inspiration Astronaut of Space2inspire and founder of The Proctor Foundation for Art and Science. She was the mission pilot for SpaceX Inspiration4, the first all-civilian orbital mission.
She is the first woman commercial astronaut spaceship pilot and the only African American woman to ever be a mission pilot. She is also the first African-American commercial astronaut, and the first African-American to paint in space.
She is currently serving as a member of the National Space Council Users’ Advisory Group representing the Maricopa Community Colleges and, in 2024, was selected to serve as new U.S. Science Envoy with the State Department.
Her motto is Space2inspire where she encourages people to use their unique strengths and passion to inspire themselves and those within their reach. She uses her unique artistic style and poetry to share her love of human spaceflight and to bring her EarthLight experience down to Earth.
Dr. Proctor believes we need to actively strive for a just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive (J.E.D.I.) space both on Earth and beyond.
Executive Director
Dr. Lisa Young
Dr. Lisa Young is an educational technology leader, open education advocate, educator, and public speaker. Dr. Young recently retired after +30 years working within the Maricopa Community Colleges. She has worked with Dr. Proctor on numerous educational projects and have traveled the world together as both friends and work colleagues.
Education
PhD in Instructional Design for Online Learning–Capella University
MEd in Learning & Instructional Technology–Arizona State University
Proctor Foundation Awards
The Proctor Foundation also recognizes those that inspire and engage in education, exploration, and outreach aligned with Dr. Sian Proctor’s Space2inspire and J.E.D.I. Space (just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive) principles applied on Earth and beyond.
The J.E.D.I. Space Award
The JEDI Space Award is an annual award given in partnership with the annual Yuri’s Night Celebration. It recognizes a space community member, organization, or company actively striving to create a just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive space (JEDI Space) on Earth and Beyond.
2024 Award Recipient
Tim Dodd, Everyday Astronaut
2022 Award Recipient
Loretta Whitesides, SpaceKind
2023 Award Recipient
Frank White, Human Space Program
Aerospace Orbit Award
The Aerospace Orbit Award is an annual award given in partnership with the Civil Air Patrol Arizona Wing. It recognizes a Civil Air Patrol aerospace officer from the southwest region who has gone above and beyond.
2023 Award Recipient
Lt. Cecelia Braithwaite, CAP
Board of Advisors
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Chris “Hanks” Sembroski resides in Gig Harbor, WA, and works as an Avionics Testing Engineer for Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket. Early in his career, Chris led teams as a camp counselor at U.S. Space Camp, and he served in the U.S. Air Force maintaining a fleet of Minuteman III ICBMs. As a citizen-lobbyist, he successfully passed legislation through congress promoting increased access to space. In September 2021, Chris flew to space in a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft representing the Generosity seat aboard Inspiration4 which raised $250 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
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Erin Bonilla is an analog astronaut, human spaceflight advisor, space artist, and freelance adventurer. For the last 5 years, Erin served as the Vice President of Training Programs for STAR HARBOR, a
50+ acre space training facility and R&D campus being built in Lone Tree, Colorado. In this role, she worked closely with astronauts, subject matter experts, and industry partners to lead the
development of space training facilities, equipment, and training programs. Throughout her decade-long career at NASA and in the commercial aerospace industry, Erin has developed expertise in digital strategy, educational outreach, space training program development,
equipment design, and expedition management. Prior to her career in aerospace, Erin worked as a creative director in fashion advertising leading the design and campaign development for 20+ luxury fashion labels.
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Mike Mongo is an astronaut teacher. In 2022, he was selected by Uplift Aerospace to be an astronaut on the first-ever Web3 commercial crew, Space+5. He is the author of children’s book The Astronaut Instruction Manual. And its follow-up, Kid Astronaut Training Manual (winter 2022). He serves on the Board of Advisors of Students for Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS) and is one of the co-founders of Yuri’s Night Space Coast at Kennedy Space Center.
