NSF Funding
National Science Foundation funding opportunities portal offering approximately $9.5 billion per year in grants for fundamental science, engineering, mathematics, and STEM education research.
Overview
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is the US federal agency responsible for funding fundamental non-medical science, engineering, mathematics, and computer science research. With an annual budget of approximately $9.5 billion, NSF funds about 25% of all federally supported basic research at US colleges and universities. The NSF funding portal at nsf.gov/funding provides access to all open solicitations and program descriptions across NSF's seven research directorates covering biological sciences, computer and information sciences, engineering, geosciences, mathematical and physical sciences, social and behavioral sciences, and STEM education.
What You Can Find Here
- Individual investigator grants (standard and continuing grants) for hypothesis-driven fundamental research
- Collaborative research grants for multi-institutional projects across the US
- CAREER Awards - the NSF's most prestigious award for early-career faculty who exemplify integration of research and education
- NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) - fellowships for outstanding US graduate students
- SBIR/STTR Phase I and Phase II grants for small businesses developing science-based commercial innovations
- Major Research Infrastructure (MRI) grants for acquisition or development of shared research equipment
- Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) and other education supplements
- Convergence Accelerator and Emerging Frontiers programs for cross-disciplinary challenge-driven research
Who Should Use This
- US university faculty applying for fundamental science or engineering research grants as principal investigators
- Early-career faculty applying for the NSF CAREER award to establish their research programme
- Graduate students applying for the NSF GRFP fellowship in their first or second year
- Small businesses applying for SBIR/STTR grants to commercialise NSF-relevant innovations
- Institutions seeking major research infrastructure grants to acquire high-cost shared equipment
- STEM educators and education researchers applying for education-focused grants through NSF's STEM education directorate
How to Get Started
- Step 1: Browse nsf.gov/funding to find open solicitations and program descriptions relevant to your research area
- Step 2: Identify whether to apply to an open program (no specific deadline) or a targeted solicitation with a due date
- Step 3: Contact the relevant NSF program officer to discuss your project's fit before preparing a full proposal
- Step 4: Register your institution in SAM.gov and Research.gov before submission
- Step 5: Prepare your proposal according to NSF's Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) and submit via Research.gov or Grants.gov
- Step 6: Track your proposal's review status in Research.gov and respond to any requests
Things to Check Before Applying
- NSF funds fundamental (basic) research - applied research with near-term commercial application is generally not the primary focus
- Principal investigators must typically be affiliated with a US institution - foreign PIs cannot lead NSF proposals but can receive supplements
- NSF CAREER awards require the PI to be within 5 years of their first tenure-track position and not have received a previous CAREER award
- NSF GRFP requires applicants to be US citizens, US nationals, or permanent residents
- NSF proposals have strict formatting and page limit requirements - violating these results in return without review
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the typical size of an NSF research grant?
Standard NSF research grants typically range from $150,000 to $600,000 total over 3-5 years, though amounts vary significantly by directorate and programme. Large infrastructure grants can be much higher.
What is the NSF GRFP and how much does it pay?
The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program provides 3 years of financial support including a $37,000 annual stipend and $16,000 cost-of-education allowance to outstanding US graduate students.
Are NSF success rates higher than NIH?
NSF typical success rates for standard research grants are 20-25%, which is somewhat higher than NIH R01 rates of 15-20%, though this varies by programme.
Does NSF fund medical research?
No. NIH funds medical and biomedical research. NSF focuses on fundamental science, engineering, mathematics, and computer science. However, some health-relevant basic science (e.g., computational biology, behavioral science) is funded by NSF.
What is the NSF SBIR program?
NSF's SBIR program funds small US businesses commercialising NSF-relevant deep technology. Phase I awards are up to $275,000 for 12 months; Phase II awards up to $1,000,000 for 24 months.
Need to monitor opportunities like this automatically?
Cuberfy can help build custom monitoring, alerting and data-feed workflows for grants, tenders, fellowships and other opportunity portals — tailored for your team or research needs.
Request custom monitoring →