National Science Foundation (NSF)

^{Updated April 24, 2025}

About the NSF

NSF's goals—discovery, learning, research infrastructure and stewardship--provide an integrated strategy to advance the frontiers of knowledge, cultivate a world-class, broadly inclusive science and engineering workforce and expand the scientific literacy of all citizens, build the nation's research capability through investments in advanced instrumentation and facilities, and support excellence in science and engineering research and education through a capable and responsive organization. The NSF Proposal & Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) is updated annually; current PAPPG 24-1 became effective May 20, 2024.

News

Changes to federal research policy: Information for the MIT community (Touchstone required) – updated regularly
NSF Requirements for Multifactor Authentication - February 3, 2025
Grant General Conditions GC-1 Now Used as Terms for Most NSF Grants - October 2024
Changes Made to NSF PAPPG 24-1 - May 2024

Finding Funding Opportunities

Upcoming NSF Due Dates

Some solicitations have limits on the number of proposals that may be submitted by one organization. When this is the case, an internal competition is required to determine which investigator will submit on behalf of MIT.

NSF List of Limited Submission Solicitations

Submission Portal

Proposals can be submitted through Research.gov and at this time, MIT RAS can best support proposal submission via Research.gov.

Deadline Cycles

Due dates for NSF proposals vary. Check the announcement to confirm when the proposal is due. A number of programs have removed the hard deadlines and accept proposals on a rolling basis.

Terms and Conditions

Review the RAS Summary of NSF grant terms and conditions. For more details, or for unusual cases, consult:

National Policy Requirements Matrix
Federal Prior Approval Matrix, which lists where NSF requires or waives prior approval
RAS CAs, for questions not addressed in NSF documents

Terms and conditions are established by MIT's membership in the Federal Demonstration Partnership.