Science & Research Grants for Researchers

U.S. National Science Foundation · $1M–$1.5M

This NSF initiative funds research networks to advance K-12 mathematics education by combining the science of learning, education practice, and data science. It is open to U.S. institutions of higher education, U.S. non-profit non-academic research organizations, and federally recognized tribal nations; for-profit businesses and individuals cannot apply directly. Phase I awards range from about $1,000,000 to $1,500,000, and Phase II is open only to Phase I awardees.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

The NSF Law & Science Program funds social-scientific research on law and on how science and technology are applied in legal contexts, and its eligibility is unrestricted (open to any eligible entity type, subject to NSF's standard rules). It supports standard and collaborative research grants as well as conference awards across many disciplines. Funding amounts are not specified here, so review the full solicitation for award size and any entity-specific requirements.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

This NSF program funds fundamental, generalizable research on manufacturing systems integration, including digital integration of design and manufacturing, intelligent production systems, interoperability, and secure manufacturing communications. Eligibility is described as unrestricted (open to any eligible entity type, subject to clarifications), so a broad range of applicants may qualify, though NSF research awards in practice center on universities and research organizations. Funding amounts and deadlines are not specified; investigators are encouraged to contact a program director before submitting.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Up to $600K

This NSF program (LTREB) funds long-term data collection to address questions in evolutionary biology, ecology, and ecosystem science, with awards up to about $600,000 over an initial 5-year period. Proposals may only come from U.S.-based nonprofit non-academic research organizations and accredited U.S. institutions of higher education acting for their faculty, so individuals, businesses, and foreign organizations are not eligible. Marine population/community/ecosystem research is excluded unless it focuses on evolutionary dynamics.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

NSF's Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences core programs fund fundamental research on molecular, subcellular, and cellular biology, and are restricted to U.S. nonprofit research organizations and accredited institutions of higher education (faculty-sponsored). General nonprofits, small businesses, and individuals are not eligible. No specific funding amount is listed.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

This NSF program funds research on why organisms are structured and function as they do, spanning developmental biology, neuroscience, biomechanics, physiology, symbioses, genomics, and animal behavior. Proposals may only be submitted by U.S.-based nonprofit non-academic research organizations and accredited U.S. institutions of higher education acting for their faculty, so individuals, businesses, and foreign organizations are not eligible. Funding amounts and deadlines are not specified.

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.

U.S. National Science Foundation · From $202K

This NSF fellowship funds early-career individuals (current PhD students or those within roughly two years of their doctorate) to carry out independent research in atmospheric and geospace sciences at a U.S. host institution. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent residents, and proposals are submitted by the individual, not an institution; awards are about $202,000 and federally funded national centers (NASA, NOAA, EPA, DOE) cannot serve as host institutions. Foreign applicants are not eligible and the research must fall within specific atmospheric/geospace disciplines.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

NSF's GRANTED initiative funds innovative models to build research enterprise administrative capacity and research workforce training infrastructure at U.S. organizations, such as research development/administration, technology transfer, compliance, and research leadership. Eligibility is broad and unrestricted, open to any type of entity, subject to any clarification in the program's additional eligibility text. Specific award amounts and deadlines are not posted in this listing; review the full solicitation for budget and timeline details.

U.S. National Science Foundation · $200K–$700K

The NSF, in partnership with the German Research Foundation (DFG), offers this Lead Agency opportunity in Chemistry and Chemical Process and Transport Systems, letting U.S. and German researchers submit a single collaborative proposal under one review. Eligibility is limited to U.S.-based institutions of higher education (including community colleges) and non-profit, non-academic research organizations directly tied to research or education; for-profit firms and individuals are not eligible. Awards roughly range from $200,000 to $700,000 and require a German research partner. No deadline is posted.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

The National Science Foundation's Fluid Dynamics program funds fundamental research into the physics of fluid phenomena — turbulence, transition, bio-fluids, non-Newtonian flows, microfluidics, and wind/ocean energy harvesting — through experiments, theory, and computation. Eligibility is described as unrestricted (open to any entity type), though NSF research awards in practice go mainly to universities and research organizations. No specific award ceiling or deadline is stated; consult the full solicitation for eligibility clarifications.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

The National Science Foundation's Life and Environments Through Time program funds research on the origin and evolution of Earth's climate, environments, life, and sedimentary record from the Archean to the Holocene. Only non-profit non-academic organizations (such as independent museums and research labs in the U.S.) and accredited two- and four-year institutions of higher education acting for their faculty may apply; for-profit businesses and individuals are not eligible applicants. Funding to international branch campuses of U.S. institutions requires special justification; no award range or deadline is stated.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

The National Science Foundation's Geospace Cluster funds fundamental research on Earth's near-space environment and the Sun-Earth system, including aeronomy, magnetospheric physics, and solar-terrestrial physics using ground- or space-based observations, modeling, and lab work. Eligibility is described as unrestricted (open to any entity type), but in practice NSF research awards go primarily to universities and research organizations. No specific award ceiling or deadline is stated; check the full solicitation for any eligibility clarifications.

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

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.

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

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

NSF's Plant Genome Research Program funds genome-scale plant biology research and related tools/technology development, and is restricted to U.S. nonprofit research organizations and accredited institutions of higher education. General nonprofits, small businesses, and individuals are not eligible. No specific funding amount is listed for this program.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

NSF's Engineering Design and Systems Engineering program funds fundamental research on design science and systems science, covering topics such as design optimization, robotics, and design cognition. Eligibility is unrestricted among standard NSF applicant categories, effectively meaning research institutions and research-focused organizations. No specific award amount is listed for this solicitation.

Air Force Academy · Up to $99M

The U.S. Air Force Academy uses this Broad Agency Announcement to fund research that supports cadet learning, faculty development, and Air Force mission needs across diverse fields such as hypersonics, cybersecurity, spatial disorientation, athletic performance, and homeland defense. It is open to non-government firms and partners (universities, businesses, and other non-federal entities); federal agencies are not eligible and should pursue internal government channels instead. The stated award range is very broad (from $0 up to about $99 million), so funding varies widely by project, and applicants typically begin by submitting a white paper.