National Science Foundation Resources

 

The College of Liberal Arts departments and programs frequently submit grant applications to the National Science Foundation (NSF). 

NSF Grant Basics

The National Science Foundation funds supports science and engineering in all 50 states and U.S. territories. NSF fulfills its mission chiefly by making grants. NSF investments account for about 25% of federal support to America's colleges and universities for basic research: research driven by curiosity and discovery. NSF also support solutions-oriented research with the potential to produce advancements for the American people. 

Who is Eligible

Each type of NSF funding opportunity has its own set of eligibility requirements. Applicants can find eligibility information in each funding opportunity announcement (FOA). 

Types of Grant Programs

NSF supports science and engineering research and education in multiple areas:

Research.gov Access

Research.gov is NSF’s grants management system in which proposals are submitted, progress reports are filed, etc. 

To use Research.gov, faculty and staff need an active Research.gov account, including  a username and password. Research.gov accounts are managed by the U’s Sponsored Projects Administration. To activate your Research.gov account, send an email to [email protected] with the following information:

  • First name, middle initial, and last name
  • University email address

Please allow three days for NSF to validate and activate your account. SPA will email you when you have been added as a Research.gov user. 

Visit the Sponsored Projects Administration’s web page for additional details.

Determine a Timeline

Every NSF Active Funding Opportunity has a submission deadline for grant applications. 

Preparing Your Proposal: An interactive summary of NSF's organizational structure, the review criteria and process, tips for finding funding programs to support your research, and some suggestions for how to write a successful proposal.

Please plan on submitting an Intent to Submit Form to the research development team six weeks in advance of your intended submission deadline. If you intend to submit an application with less than a six-week notice, please contact [email protected] to verify staff availability.

If you do not believe you can develop a strong and complete application by the applicationdeadline, consider delaying your application to the next deadline. 

Broader Impacts

Writing Better NSF Proposals - Broader Impacts: The Broader Impacts discussion is a critical component of any proposal submitted to NSFthe U.S. National Science Foundation. It answers the following question: How does your research benefit society?

The Advancing Research Impact in Society (ARIS) project at Rutgers has created a Broader Impacts Toolkit.