The CUNYSAT-1 CubeSat project was funded by a National Space Grant award for Minority-Serving Partnerships. The award was facilitated by the New York State Space Grant Consortium. The PI was Dr. Shermane Austin, Medgar Evers College, CUNY and the co-PI was Dr. Mason Peck, Cornell University. Co-investigators included: Dr. Leon Johnson, Dr. Armando Howard, and Dr. Michele Vittadello from Medgar Evers College, Michael Fortney, University of Vermont, Dr. Paul Marchese, Queensborough Community College, Dr. Steve Greenbaum, Hunter College and Dr. Charles Watkins, City College of New York. The award provided stipends for participating students as well as equipment and supplies for the CubeSat.

Additional funding for equipment and supplies was provided by the the CUNY/GSFC Heliophysics Education Consortium (PI, Leon Johnson) and donations from Dr. Gordon W. Anderson.

United Technologies Aerospace Systems/Goodrich provided training and facilities for random vibration testing and the thermal vacuum bakeout. California Polytechnic University also provided facilities for random vibration testing.