U.S. National Science Foundation Grants

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

This NSF/NIFA Plant Biotic Interactions program funds research on how plants interact with viruses, bacteria, fungi, pests, and other organisms, spanning fundamental mechanisms through agriculturally relevant applications. Eligible applicants include U.S. nonprofit non-academic research organizations, two- and four-year U.S. institutions of higher education, USDA/NIFA-eligible entities (including state agricultural experiment stations, universities, research foundations, federal agencies, and U.S.-citizen/permanent-resident individuals), and groups of these. Foreign and international organizations are not eligible. Strictly ecological projects without underlying mechanisms are not appropriate. No award range or deadline is listed here.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

NSF's Operations Engineering program funds fundamental research on analytical methods (optimization, data science, simulation, decision and risk analysis) for improving operations in complex systems, with applications spanning manufacturing, public safety, health care, and energy. Eligibility is unrestricted among standard NSF applicant types. No award amount is specified in this listing.

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 · Amount varies

This NSF program (RUI and ROA) supports research by faculty at predominantly undergraduate institutions, helping build campus research capacity and integrate research with undergraduate education. Only accredited colleges and universities (including two-year community colleges) that have awarded 20 or fewer Ph.D./D.Sci. degrees in NSF-supported fields over the prior two academic years may submit; this is a restrictive institutional eligibility rule. Funding amounts and a fixed deadline are not listed, so contact the relevant NSF disciplinary program officer to confirm fit and timing.

U.S. National Science Foundation · From $50K

Only accredited two- and four-year U.S. institutions of higher education (including community colleges) may apply to this NSF National I-Corps Teams program, acting on behalf of their faculty; individuals, nonprofits, and businesses cannot apply directly. It funds NSF-supported researchers with entrepreneurial training, mentoring, and roughly $50,000 to assess the commercial potential of deep-technology inventions from foundational research. Multiple awards based on the same core technology generally are not supported, and international branch campuses require special justification.

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

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

This U.S. National Science Foundation program (Chemical Evolution of the Solid Earth and Volcanology) funds fundamental research on the origin and evolution of Earth's core, mantle, and crust, including volcanology, igneous and metamorphic processes, ore deposits, and geochronology. Only U.S.-based institutions of higher education and non-profit, non-academic research organizations (such as museums, observatories, and research laboratories) may submit proposals, so for-profit firms and individuals are not eligible to apply directly. Funding amounts and deadlines are not stated.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

This U.S. National Science Foundation program (Particulate and Multiphase Processes) funds fundamental research on the physics and chemistry of particulate and multiphase systems, including suspensions, granular flows, structured and active fluids, aerosols, and self-assembly processes, with relevance to advanced manufacturing, energy, biotechnology, and environmental sustainability. Eligibility is described as unrestricted (open to any entity type), though NSF research awards in practice are typically made to U.S. universities and research organizations. Funding amounts and deadlines are not stated.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

NSF's Structure and Physics of the Solid Earth program funds research on Earth's deep dynamical processes, including geohazards like earthquakes, and is restricted to U.S. nonprofit research organizations and accredited institutions of higher education. Typical small businesses, individuals, and non-research nonprofits are not eligible. No specific funding amount is listed for this program.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

This U.S. National Science Foundation program (Transport Phenomena) funds fundamental research into the transport of mass, momentum, energy, and species across scales, supporting advances in areas such as AI, manufacturing, biotechnology, microelectronics, and energy. Eligibility is described as unrestricted (open to any entity type), though NSF research awards are typically made to U.S. universities and research organizations through experiments, theory, and computational modeling. Funding amounts and deadlines are not stated.

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 STEM K-12 program funds fundamental, applied, and translational research that advances STEM teaching and learning across formal and informal settings. Proposals may only be submitted by U.S.-based for-profit organizations (including small businesses) with R&D capacity, non-profit non-academic organizations tied to education or research (e.g., museums, research labs, professional societies), state and local governments, accredited U.S. institutions of higher education, and federally recognized tribal nations. Individuals and most general nonprofits without a research/education tie are not eligible; no specific award amount or deadline is listed here.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

The NSF Electrochemical Systems program funds fundamental engineering research on electrochemical and photochemical processes for sustainable production of electricity, fuels, and chemicals, and for energy storage. Eligibility is unrestricted in principle (open to the entity types NSF lists, typically universities, research institutions, and qualifying organizations), subject to NSF's standard clarifications. No specific award amount or deadline is given in this listing, so check the current NSF solicitation for proposal windows and limits.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

The NSF Science of Science: Discovery, Communication and Impact (SoS:DCI) program has unrestricted eligibility, meaning most entity types may apply, though it is geared toward researchers at universities and research organizations. It funds empirical social-science research on how scientific discovery happens, how science is communicated, and how science creates public value and informs evidence-based policy. No specific award amount or deadline is listed. Strong proposals are expected to advance theory, build data and analytical tools, and include robust open-science data management plans.

U.S. National Science Foundation · $5K–$400K

The National Science Foundation's Biomechanics and Mechanobiology program funds researchers studying the mechanical behavior of living systems, from cells and tissues to whole organisms, with a required combination of biological and mechanics components. Awards range from about $5,000 to $400,000 and are open to any type of entity, though in practice applicants are typically universities and research institutions with qualified investigators. Purely clinical trials are not supported, though feasibility studies involving human or animal subjects may be allowed if tied to the research objectives.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

NSF's Marine Geology and Geophysics program funds research on ocean basin and Great Lakes geology, covering topics like seafloor tectonics, paleoclimate, and marine geohazards. Eligibility is unrestricted among standard NSF applicant types, meaning it is effectively aimed at research institutions rather than typical small businesses or general nonprofits. No specific award amount is listed.

U.S. National Science Foundation · From $300K

The NSF Ocean Drilling Program supports operations of the International Ocean Discovery Program, including running the JOIDES Resolution research drillship and related marine-geoscience science operations. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted (open to any eligible entity, subject to notice clarifications), but in practice these large facility-operations awards go to major research institutions; the listing notes an award figure starting around $300,000. Funding ceiling and deadline are not specified, so review the full notice for details.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

This NSF program funds foundational robotics research and is explicitly open to any type of entity, though proposals must clearly justify the research as centered on robots and address fundamental gaps in robotics science rather than routine engineering. No specific award amount or deadline is listed. Best suited to researchers and research institutions rather than general nonprofits or businesses, despite the broad formal eligibility language.

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.