External Funding

OPPORTUNITY: John Templeton Foundation Grants

FUNDING AGENCY: John Templeton Foundation

AWARD AMOUNT: Varies

LETTER OF INTENT DEADLINE: August 15, 2025

FULL PROPOSAL DEADLINE: January 16, 2026

DESCRIPTION: Although you can complete and submit an OFI at any point during the year, the Foundation reviews all funding requests (both stage 1 OFIs and stage 2 Full Proposals) according to specific dates and deadlines outlined in our grantmaking calendar.

The Foundation offers grants in support of research and public engagement in our major Funding Areas. We invest in bold ideas from contrarian thinkers — ideas that cross disciplinary boundaries and challenge conventional assumptions. And we fund innovative programs that engage the public with these ideas, in an effort to open minds, deepen understanding, and inspire curiosity. Funding Areas: Individual Freedom & Free Markets Life Sciences Mathematical & Physical Sciences Public Engagement Character Virtue Development Religion, Science, and Society

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OPPORTUNITY: Principles and Practice of Scalable Systems (PPoSS)

FUNDING AGENCY: NSF

AWARD AMOUNT: up to $5,000,000 – LARGE Grants only

FULL PROPOSAL DEADLINE: January 26, 2026

DESCRIPTION: A key focus of the design of modern computing systems is performance and scalability, particularly in light of the limits of Moore’s Law and Dennard scaling. To this end, systems are increasingly being implemented by composing heterogeneous computing components and continually changing memory systems as novel, performant hardware surfaces. Applications fueled by rapid strides in machine learning, data analysis, and extreme-scale simulation are becoming more domain-specific and highly distributed. In this scenario, traditional boundaries between hardware-oriented and software-oriented disciplines are increasingly blurred.

Achieving scalability of systems and applications will therefore require coordinated progress in multiple disciplines such as computer architecture, high-performance computing (HPC), machine programming, programming languages and compilers, security and privacy, systems, and theory and algorithms. Cross-cutting concerns such as performance, correctness and accuracy, and heterogeneity must be taken into account from the outset in all aspects of systems and application design and implementation.

The aim of the Principles and Practice of Scalable Systems (PPoSS) program is to support a community of researchers who will work symbiotically across the multiple disciplines above to perform basic research on scalability and correctness and accuracy of modern applications, systems, and toolchains built on heterogeneous architectures. The intent is that these efforts will foster the development of principles that lead to rigorous and reproducible artifacts for the design and implementation of large-scale systems and applications spanning the full hardware/software stack. Importantly, as described below, PPoSS specifically seeks to fund projects that span the entire hardware/software stack and that lay the foundations for sustainable approaches for implementing performant, scalable, and correct and accurate computing applications that run on heterogeneous platforms.

NOTE: A LARGE project must present a full-scale research project. It must include preliminary evidence that all the cross-cutting criteria (Section I) are met with respect to the full hardware and software stack.

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OPPORTUNITY: National Science Foundation Translation to Practice (NSF TTP)

FUNDING AGENCY: NSF

AWARD AMOUNT: $600,000–$2,000,000

FULL PROPOSAL DEADLINE: January 20, 2026

DESCRIPTION: The NSF Translation to Practice (NSF TTP) program focuses on real-world applications of all areas of Science, Technology , Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Proposers can tailor their research and/or innovation activities to solve specific problems faced by consumers, industries, and/or governments. Successful outcomes of NSF TTP projects are varied and may include, but are not limited to: accelerated product, process or service maturation; open-source projects; standards setting; patents; the realization of pre-commercial or commercial products, processes or services; and startup or small business formation.

NOTE: See RFP for other deadlines and tracks.

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OPPORTUNITY: Training-based Workforce Development for Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (CyberTraining)

FUNDING AGENCY: NSF

AWARD AMOUNT: Varies

DESCRIPTION: This program seeks to prepare, nurture, and grow the national scientific research workforce for creating, utilizing, and supporting advanced cyberinfrastructure (CI) to enable and potentially transform fundamental science and engineering (S&E) research and education and contribute to the Nation’s overall economic competitiveness and security. The goals of this solicitation are to (i) ensure broad adoption of CI tools, methods, and resources by the research community in order to catalyze major research advances and to enhance researchers’ abilities to lead the development of new CI, and (ii) integrate core literacy and discipline-appropriate advanced skills in advanced CI as well as computational and data-driven methods for advancing fundamental research, into the Nation’s undergraduate and graduate educational curriculum/instructional materials. Proposals responding to this solicitation may target one or both of the two solicitation goals. For the purpose of this solicitation, advanced CI is broadly defined as the set of resources, tools, methods, and services for advanced computation, large-scale data handling and analytics, and networking and security for large-scale systems that collectively enable potentially transformative fundamental S&E research and education. This solicitation calls for innovative, scalable training, education, and curriculum/instructional materials—targeting one or more of the solicitation goals—to address emerging needs and unresolved bottlenecks in the S&E research workforce development, from the postsecondary level to active researchers to CI professionals. The funded activities, spanning targeted, multidisciplinary communities, should lead to transformative changes in the state of research workforce preparedness for advanced CI-enabled research in the short- and long-term. This solicitation also seeks to broaden CI access and adoption by (i) increasing the adoption of advanced CI and computational and data-driven methods to a broader range of S&E disciplines and institutions and (ii) effectively utilizing the capabilities of individuals from a diverse set of underrepresented groups. Proposals from, and in partnership with, the aforementioned communities are especially encouraged.

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OPPORTUNITY: NSF-BSF Linguistics

FUNDING AGENCY: U.S-Israel Binational Science Foundation

AWARD AMOUNT: $75,000 – $95,000

FULL PROPOSAL DEADLINE: January 15, 2026

DESCRIPTION: As part of the NSF-BSF joint program, the U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF) invites collaborative research proposals in Linguistics, in the Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences (BCS), in partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities at the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). The Linguistics Program supports basic science in the domain of human language, encompassing investigations of the grammatical properties of individual human languages, and of natural language in general. Research areas include syntax, semantics, morphology, phonetics and phonology. The program encourages projects that are interdisciplinary in methodological or theoretical perspective, and that address questions that cross disciplinary boundaries, such as (but not limited to): What are the psychological processes involved in the production, perception, and comprehension of language? What are the computational properties of language and/or the language processor that make fluent production, incremental comprehension or rapid learning possible? How do the acoustic and physiological properties of speech inform our theories of natural language and/or language processing? What role does human neurobiology play in shaping the various grammatical properties of language? How does language develop in natural learning contexts across the life-span? What social and cultural factors underlie language variation and change?

NOTE: Additional deadline in July 2026

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OPPORTUNITY: Growing Convergence Research (GCR)

FUNDING AGENCY: NSF

AWARD AMOUNT: $1,200,000 – $3,600,000

FULL PROPOSAL DEADLINE: February 9, 2026

DESCRIPTION: Convergence research is a means for solving vexing research problems, in particular, complex problems focusing on societal needs or deep scientific challenges. It entails integrating knowledge, methods, and expertise from different disciplines and developing novel paradigms that catalyze scientific discovery and innovation.

GCR identifies Convergence Research as having two primary characteristics: ● Research driven by a specific and compelling problem. Convergence research is generally inspired by the need to address a specific challenge or opportunity, whether it arises from deep scientific questions or pressing societal needs. ● Deep integration across disciplines. As experts from different disciplines pursue common research challenges, their knowledge, theories, methods, data, research communities and languages become increasingly intermingled or integrated. New frameworks, paradigms or even disciplines can form sustained interactions across multiple communities. A distinct characteristic of convergence research, in contrast to other forms of multidisciplinary research, is that from the inception, the convergence paradigm intentionally brings together intellectually diverse researchers and stakeholders to frame the research questions, adopt common frameworks for addressing them, and create and implement innovative scientific approaches for their solution. This includes, when appropriate, developing new integrated theories, methods, research tools, and ways of communicating across disciplines and sectors. Research teams practicing convergence aim to develop sustainable collaborations that may not only create solutions to the specific problem studied, but also develop novel ways of investigating related research questions and open new research vistas.

This GCR solicitation targets multidisciplinary teams who are embracing convergence research as a means of developing highly innovative solutions to complex research problems. GCR proposals are expected to be bold and address scientific or technical challenges and bottlenecks which if resolved have the potential to transform scientific understanding and solve vexing problems. Successful GCR projects are anticipated to lead to paradigm shifting approaches within disciplines, establishment of new scientific communities, or development of transformative technologies that have the potential for broad scientific or societal impact.

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OPPORTUNITY: Oceanographic Technology and Interdisciplinary Coordination (OTIC) Program

FUNDING AGENCY: NSF

AWARD AMOUNT: TBD

FULL PROPOSAL DEADLINE: February 16, 2026

DESCRIPTION: The program supports a broad range of research and technology development activities. Unsolicited proposals are accepted for instrumentation development that has broad applicability to ocean science research projects and that enhance observational, experimental or analytical capabilities of the ocean science research community. Specific announcements for funding opportunities are made for additional projects involving Improvements in Facilities, Communications, and Equipment at Biological Field Stations and Marine Laboratories (FSML) and the National Ocean Partnership Program. This program is part of the Integrative Programs Section.

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OPPORTUNITY: Computer and Information Science and Engineering : Future Computing Research (Future CoRe)

FUNDING AGENCY: NSF

AWARD AMOUNT: Varies

FULL PROPOSAL DEADLINE: February 5, 2026

DESCRIPTION: The NSF CISE Directorate supports research and education projects that develop new knowledge in all aspects of computing, communications, and information science and engineering through the following Future Computing Research (Future CoRe) programs: Algorithmic Foundations (AF) program; Communications and Information Foundations (CIF) program; Computer Systems Research (CSR) program; Computing Education Research (CER) program; Cyber-Physical System Foundations and Connected Communities (CPS) program; Foundations of Emerging Technologies (FET) program; Human-Centered Computing (HCC) program; Information Integration and Informatics (III) program; Networking Technology and Systems (NeTS) program; Robust Intelligence (RI) program; and Software and Hardware Foundations (SHF) program;

NOTE: Award amounts vary; there is up to $280 million per year to support up to 600 awards.

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OPPORTUNITY: Public Programming and Educational Outreach: Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park

FUNDING AGENCY: Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park

AWARD AMOUNT: $25,000–$250,000

FULL PROPOSAL DEADLINE: February 9, 2026

DESCRIPTION: Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park seeks a program partner to assist the park in achieving its legislative purpose, i.e., “(1) to preserve, protect, and interpret for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations, the places that contributed materially to the landmark United States Supreme Court decision that brought an end to segregation in public education; and (2) to interpret the integral role of the Brown v. Board of Education case in the civil rights movement; and (3) to assist in the preservation, protection, and interpretation of related resources within Topeka, Kansas, Summerton, South Carolina, Farmville, Virginia, Wilmington, Claymont, and Hockessin, Delaware and the District of Columbia that further the understanding of the civil rights movement and the context of Brown v. Board of Education.” (PL 102-525 and PL 117-123) The partner will assist the park in planning events in the five communities listed in PL 117-123. The events will include, but are not necessarily limited to, annual anniversary events in May, leading up to the seventy-fifth anniversary commemoration in 2029. The partner will provide logistical support, such as payment of honoraria, travel costs, and other program expenses, related to events and programs arranged as part of this agreement. The partner will use its outreach tools and community networks to publicize events and programs and will assist in the recruitment of interns, youth, or other project staff. The partner will collaborate with NPS staff and community organizations in Kansas to enhance interpretation and educational outreach and to promote the park’s efforts to strengthen its ties to heritage tourism and educational organizations in the five Brown communities.

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OPPORTUNITY: Enabling Discovery through GEnomics (EDGE)

FUNDING AGENCY: NSF

AWARD AMOUNT: up to $2,000,000

FULL PROPOSAL DEADLINE: February 19, 2026

DESCRIPTION: Through the Enabling Discovery through GEnomics (EDGE) program, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes for Health (NIH) support research to advance understanding of comparative and functional genomics. The EDGE program supports the development of innovative tools, technologies, resources, and infrastructure that advance biological research focused on the identification of the causal mechanisms connecting genes and phenotypes. The EDGE program also supports functional genomic research that addresses the mechanistic basis of complex traits in diverse organisms within the context (environmental, developmental, social, and/or genomic) in which they function. These goals are essential to uncovering the rules that underlie genomes-to-phenomes relationships and predict phenotype, an area relevant to Understanding the Rules of Life: Predicting Phenotype, one of the 10 Big Ideas for NSF investment. The goals also support the NHGRI priority to establish the roles and relationships of all genes and regulatory elements in pathways, networks, and phenotypes.

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OPPORTUNITY: The Science of Learning and Augmented Intelligence Program

FUNDING AGENCY: NSF

AWARD AMOUNT: TBD

FULL PROPOSAL DEADLINE: February 11, 2026

DESCRIPTION: The Science of Learning and Augmented Intelligence Program (SL) supports potentially transformative research that develops basic theoretical insights and fundamental knowledge about principles, processes and mechanisms of learning, and about augmented intelligence – how human cognitive function can be augmented through interactions with others, contextual variations, and technological advances.The program supports research addressing learning in individuals and in groups, across a wide range of domains at one or more levels of analysis including: molecular/cellular mechanisms; brain systems; cognitive, affective, and behavioral processes; and social/cultural influences.The program also supports research on augmented intelligence that clearly articulates principled ways in which human approaches to learning and related processes, such as in design, complex decision-making and problem-solving, can be improved through interactions with others, and/or the use of artificial intelligence in technology. These could include ways of using knowledge about human functioning to improve the design of collaborative technologies that have capabilities to learn to adapt to humans.For both aspects of the program, there is special interest in collaborative and collective models of learning and/or intelligence that are supported by the unprecedented speed and scale of technological connectivity. This includes emphasis on how people and technology working together in new ways and at scale can achieve more than either can attain alone. The program also seeks explanations for how the emergent intelligence of groups, organizations, and networks intersects with processes of learning, behavior and cognition in individuals. Projects that are convergent and/or interdisciplinary may be especially valuable in advancing basic understanding of these areas, but research within a single discipline or methodology is also appropriate. Connections between proposed research and specific technological, educational, and workforce applications will be considered as valuable broader impacts but are not necessarily central to the intellectual merit of proposed research. The program supports a variety of approaches including: experiments, field studies, surveys, computational modeling, and artificial intelligence/machine learning methods.

NOTE: Additional deadline in Aug

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OPPORTUNITY: EHR Core Research (ECR): Building Capacity in STEM Education Research (ECR: BCSER)

FUNDING AGENCY: NSF

AWARD AMOUNT: $25,000 – $1,000,000 depending on category

FULL PROPOSAL DEADLINE: February 27, 2026

DESCRIPTION: ECR’s Building Capacity in STEM Education Research (ECR: BCSER) supports projects that build investigators’ capacity to carry out high-quality STEM education research that will enhance the nation’s STEM education enterprise. In addition, ECR: BCSER seeks to broaden the pool of researchers who can advance knowledge regarding STEM learning and learning environments, broadening participation in STEM fields, and STEM workforce development. Researchers of races and ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, and abilities who are currently underrepresented in their participation in STEM education research and the STEM workforce, as well as faculty at minority-serving and two-year institutions, are particularly encouraged to submit proposals.

Specifically, ECR: BCSER supports activities that enable researchers to expand their areas of expertise and acquire the requisite knowledge and skills to conduct rigorous research in STEM education. Career development may be accomplished through investigator-initiated professional development and research projects or through institutes that enable researchers to integrate methodological strategies with theoretical and practical issues in STEM education.

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OPPORTUNITY: Two opportunities: Biological Oceanography (BioOce) and Chemical Oceanography Program

FUNDING AGENCY: NSF

AWARD AMOUNT: TBD

FULL PROPOSAL DEADLINE: February 17, 2026

DESCRIPTION: Chemical: Abstract The program supports research into the chemistry of the oceans and the role of the oceans in global geochemical cycles. Areas of interest include chemical composition, speciation, and transformation; chemical exchanges between the oceans and other components of the Earth system; internal cycling in oceans, seas, and estuaries; and the use of measured chemical distributions as indicators of physical, biological, and geological processes.

Biological: The Biological Oceanography Program supports fundamental research in biological oceanography and marine ecology in environments ranging from estuarine, coastal, and open ocean systems to the deep sea, as well as in the Great Lakes. Proposals submitted to the Program must have a compelling context in population, community, or ecosystem ecology or oceanography, as well as address topics that will contribute significantly to the understanding of marine or Great Lakes ecosystems. The Program supports interdisciplinary research and often co-reviews and co-funds projects with various programs in the Division of Ocean Sciences and the Directorate of Biological Sciences (BIO), among others.

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OPPORTUNITY: Emerging Mathematics in Biology (eMB)

FUNDING AGENCY: NSF

AWARD AMOUNT: TBD

FULL PROPOSAL DEADLINE: March 1, 2026

DESCRIPTION: The Emerging Mathematics in Biology (eMB) program seeks to stimulate the development of innovative mathematical theories, techniques, and approaches to investigate challenging questions of great interest to biologists and public health policymakers. It supports truly integrative research projects in mathematical biology that address challenging and significant biological questions through novel applications of traditional, but nontrivial, mathematical tools and methods or the development of new mathematical theories particularly from foundational mathematics, including the mathematical foundation of Artificial Intelligence/Deep Learning/Machine Learning (AI/DL/ML) enabling explainable AI or mechanistic insight. The program emphasizes the uses of mathematical methodologies to advance our understanding of complex, dynamic, and heterogenous biological systems at all scales (molecular, cellular, organismal, population, ecosystems, evolutionary, etc.).

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OPPORTUNITY: NSF-CBMS Regional Research Conferences in the Mathematical Sciences

FUNDING AGENCY: NSF

AWARD AMOUNT: up to $35,000

FULL PROPOSAL DEADLINE: April 26, 2026

FULL PROPOSAL DEADLINE: Rolling Deadline

DESCRIPTION: Abstract The NSF-CBMS Regional Research Conferences in the Mathematical Sciences are a series of five-day conferences that usually feature a distinguished lecturer delivering ten lectures on a topic of important current research in one sharply focused area of the mathematical sciences. CBMS refers to the Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences, which publicizes the conferences and disseminates the resulting conference materials. Support is provided for about 30 participants at each conference. Proposals should address the unique characteristics of the NSF-CBMS conferences.To stimulate interest and activity in mathematical sciences research, the National Science Foundation anticipates supporting up to 10 NSF-CBMS Regional Research Conferences annually. The Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences (CBMS) publicizes conferences and administers the resulting publications, fostering greater dissemination of material related to cutting edge-topics and increasing the impact of the conferences in the community.Normally each five-day conference features a distinguished lecturer who delivers ten lectures on a topic of important current research in one sharply focused area of the mathematical sciences. The lecturer subsequently prepares an expository monograph based upon these lectures, which is normally published as a part of a regional conference series.DMS priorities for the support of conferences include:- Breadth and diversity of participation, in order to help more mathematical scientists stay abreast of developments in the discipline;- Involvement of students and junior investigators and of individuals from groups under-represented in the mathematical sciences, in order to contribute to the development of the nation’s science personnel base;- Connection to frontiers in the mathematical sciences, in order to advance the mathematical sciences and to strengthen the interchanges between the mathematical sciences and other science and engineering disciplines.

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