Science & Research Grants

National Park Service · $1–$90K

This National Park Service agreement is restricted to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; nonprofits, businesses, and individuals are not eligible. It supports historic-preservation work including training, promotion of the Federal Certified Local Government program, and coordinator training in the National Capital and Northeast regions. Awards range from a nominal minimum up to about $89,987.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

This NSF program funds innovative research on electronic, photonic, optoelectronic, and magnetic devices for applications such as communications, sensing, healthcare, energy, and manufacturing. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted (open to any eligible entity type, subject to clarifications), so a broad range of applicants may qualify, though NSF awards typically support universities and research organizations. Funding amounts and deadlines are not specified; contact the relevant program director about topic fit.

NASA Headquarters · Amount varies

NASA anticipates releasing the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Phase II solicitation (around May 11, 2026) under its SpaceTech-REDDI-2026 research announcement. Phase II awards run up to two years to further develop the most promising Phase I concepts, so this round is generally limited to those advancing prior NIAC Phase I work. Full eligibility details and due dates will be in the solicitation, available through the NSPIRES system. Review the solicitation when posted to confirm who may apply.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

Open to any type of entity (the NSF lists eligibility as unrestricted, though awards typically go to universities and research institutions). The U.S. National Science Foundation's Research on Research Security (RoRS) program funds evidence-based, interdisciplinary research, conferences, and planning that build the emerging field of research security, with international collaboration encouraged where appropriate. No award amount or deadline is stated here.

Dept of the Army -- Materiel Command · $100K–$2.3M

This U.S. Army research program (Tactical Behaviors for Autonomous Maneuver) funds work on robotics and autonomous systems for future multi-domain military operations, with awards ranging from about $100,000 up to roughly $2.3 million to a single entity. Institutions of higher education, for-profit, and non-profit organizations may apply, and FFRDCs may propose subject to their sponsoring agency's policy; teams are allowed but not required. Note the listed proposal dates have passed (Cycle 2 submission was April 24, 2024), so verify whether any cycle remains open before pursuing it.

Dept of the Army -- Materiel Command · Amount varies

This Army Research Laboratory special notice (under BAA W911NF-17-S-0003) seeks proposals to design, manufacture, and deliver a low-cost, battery-powered chip-scale atomic clock targeting under $300 per unit at volume for defense timing applications. Eligibility is restricted to for-profit firms (a consortium led by a for-profit firm is also encouraged), so nonprofits, universities as primes, and individuals are not the intended applicants. Funding is via a technology investment agreement; no specific award amount or deadline is listed, and applicants should review the full special notice.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

This U.S. National Science Foundation program funds fundamental engineering research on biosensing — detecting and quantifying biological analytes using innovations across engineering, life sciences, and information technology — within NSF's Engineering Biology and Health cluster. Eligibility is unrestricted as to entity type, but NSF research grants are typically led by universities and research institutions; proposals must advance both engineering and the life sciences. Funding amounts and deadlines are not specified here, so applicants should consult the full NSF solicitation.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

The NSF Advanced Manufacturing program funds fundamental, multidisciplinary research that transforms U.S. manufacturing capabilities, including manufacturing systems, materials processing, machines, and nanomanufacturing. Eligibility is unrestricted in principle (open to NSF's listed entity types, typically universities and research institutions), subject to NSF's standard clarifications. Proposals of varying sizes are considered; no fixed award amount or deadline is given here, so consult the current NSF solicitation.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

The NSF Energy, Power, Control, and Networks (EPCN) program funds research on modeling, optimization, learning, and control of networked systems, electric power and energy systems, power electronics, and related machine-learning methods. Eligibility is unrestricted across NSF's standard applicant types (primarily universities and research organizations), so most academic and nonprofit research entities can apply. No specific award amount or deadline is listed.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

The U.S. National Science Foundation's Environmental Sustainability program funds fundamental engineering research on sustainable systems that balance human well-being with protecting natural systems, including circular bioeconomy engineering, industrial ecology, life cycle assessment, and green engineering. Eligibility is broad (open to any type of entity, subject to clarifications in the solicitation), but proposals typically come from universities and research institutions with qualified principal investigators. Award amounts and deadlines are not specified here; review the full NSF solicitation.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

The NSF Interfacial Engineering program funds fundamental research on atomic- and molecular-scale interfacial phenomena to improve chemical and biochemical process efficiency, including chemical and biological separations and engineered interfaces. Eligibility is unrestricted (open to any entity type subject to NSF's standard rules), but in practice these awards support university and research-institution investigators; proposals should show a clear path to advancing industrial chemical processes. Award amounts and deadlines are not specified here, so check the program solicitation for current limits and proposal windows.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

The NSF Thermal Transport Processes program funds fundamental engineering research on thermal transport phenomena (heat and mass transfer, convection/diffusion/radiation, phonon transport, and related thermodynamics). Eligibility is unrestricted in type of entity, but in practice NSF research awards go to universities, research institutions, and qualifying organizations and businesses submitting strong research proposals. Specific award amounts and deadlines are not stated in this listing; confirm current deadlines on the NSF program page before applying.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

This U.S. National Science Foundation program funds fundamental research on how nanomaterials and nanosystems interact with biological and environmental media, part of NSF's Environmental Engineering and Sustainability cluster. Eligibility is unrestricted as to entity type, though NSF research grants in practice are led by universities and research institutions; collaborative and interdisciplinary proposals are encouraged. Funding amounts and deadlines are not specified here, so applicants should consult the full NSF solicitation for budget and submission details.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

Open to any type of entity (the NSF lists eligibility as unrestricted, though awards typically go to universities and research institutions). This U.S. National Science Foundation program funds fundamental research in catalysis and catalytic engineering, emphasizing heterogeneous catalysis and applications such as fuels, chemicals, environmental catalysis, biomass conversion, and energy-related electro- and photocatalysis. No award amount or deadline is stated here.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

The NSF Condensed Matter and Materials Theory (CMMT) program funds fundamental theoretical and computational research on hard and soft materials and materials phenomena, including data-centric and machine-learning approaches. Eligible applicants are limited to U.S. institutions of higher education and U.S. non-profit, non-academic research organizations such as museums and research laboratories; for-profit firms and individuals cannot submit. No specific award amount or deadline is listed, and there are limits on the number of proposals per principal investigator.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

This NSF program funds fundamental engineering research on process systems, reaction engineering, and molecular thermodynamics, including reactor design, multi-scale modeling, and sustainable chemical manufacturing. Eligibility is unrestricted, meaning most entity types (including universities, businesses, and nonprofits) may submit, though NSF research awards are most commonly made to academic researchers. Funding amounts and a specific deadline are not listed, so confirm program details and proposal windows with the NSF disciplinary program officer.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Up to $35K

The NSF High-Risk Research in Biological Anthropology and Archaeology (HRRBAA) program gives small awards to assess the feasibility of high-risk anthropological research projects, often in remote or difficult settings, with results meant to inform a fuller proposal later. Eligibility is unrestricted across NSF's standard applicant types, but investigators must first contact the cognizant NSF program director to confirm the work qualifies as high-risk. Awards are small, up to about $35,000, and no fixed deadline is listed.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

This NSF program supports state-of-the-art instruments and facilities for atmospheric research and education, including lower-atmosphere observing facilities and community instruments. Eligibility is unrestricted in principle, but note an important restriction: proposals to the Lower Atmospheric Observing Facilities track are accepted by invitation only and require contacting the program director first. Award amounts and deadline are not specified. This is best suited to universities and research institutions that operate or provide shared instrumentation.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

Eligibility is unrestricted (open to any entity type, subject to NSF clarifications) for this National Science Foundation Dynamics, Control and Systems Diagnostics program. It supports fundamental theoretical, computational, and experimental research on modeling, analysis, diagnostics, and control of dynamic systems. No fixed award amount or deadline is listed; PIs are encouraged to email a one-page project summary for feedback, and standard NSF limits on foreign organizations apply, so awards generally go to U.S. institutions.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

The National Science Foundation's Infrastructure Systems and People program funds fundamental, often interdisciplinary research on the design, operation, monitoring, and resilience of infrastructure systems (physical, organizational, and operational) under normal and extreme conditions such as natural disasters and disruptions. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, though NSF research proposals are in practice submitted by universities, eligible nonprofit research organizations, and similar entities rather than individuals. Award amounts and deadlines are not specified here; consult the official solicitation for budget and submission details.