The National Science Foundation (NSF) is the U.S. federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering, with strong emphasis on advancing U.S. research capacity, STEM workforce development, and broadening participation. NSF funds university research, national research infrastructure, early-career investigators, and technology translation (e.g., SBIR/STTR), and also supports cross-disciplinary priorities such as AI, advanced computing, biotechnology, data science, cybersecurity, and disaster resilience. Its grants are distributed nationwide (including territories) and through international partnerships, using competitive peer review and program-driven solicitations.
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Competitive, peer-reviewed grants and cooperative agreements issued through program-specific solicitations and core directorate programs; award sizes range from small (≈$10k) to multi‑million dollar center and infrastructure grants, including single-year to multi‑year awards. NSF accepts unsolicited proposals but most funding flows from targeted solicitations and recurring programs with set deadlines.
Submit proposals via Research.gov or Grants.gov following the specific program solicitation; address NSF's two merit-review criteria (Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts), check program deadlines and eligibility (e.g., CAREER and SBIR deadlines), and tailor applications to the solicitation’s scope—unsolicited proposals are allowed but must follow NSF proposal guidelines and formatting. Expect competitive peer review and allow lead time for institutional approvals.
Current and upcoming funding from National Science Foundation that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Researchers focused on STEM education research; proposals submitted via eligible U.S. institutions per solicitation.
Deadline: October 1, 2026 (as stated in the source).
Who can apply: U.S.-based PIs and institutions (BIO directorate researchers); applicants submit via eligible organizations.
Deadline: Anytime (open/standard submission as indicated in summary); verify current dates on solicitation.
Who can apply: U.S.-based principal investigators and institutions (researchers in BIO directorate). Individual investigators apply through eligible organizations.
Deadline: Anytime (open/standard submission per solicitation summary); check specific solicitation for windows.
Who can apply: U.S.-based PIs and institutions in BIO directorate; proposals submitted by eligible organizations.
Deadline: Anytime (open/standard submission); check solicitation for details.
Who can apply: Researchers and institutions within the BIO directorate (U.S.-based PIs/institutions).
Deadline: Anytime (open/continuous submission as noted in source).
Who can apply: Researchers and institutions in the BIO directorate (U.S.-based principal investigators/institutions).
Deadline: Anytime (open/continuous submission as noted in source).
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Create a free accountDeadlines and eligibility are summarized from public sources and may change — always confirm the details on the funder's official application page before applying.