Science & Research Grants for Individuals

U.S. National Science Foundation · From $110K

These NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowships are awarded to individuals, who submit directly to NSF and must identify a scientific mentor and eligible host institution at the time of application. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, nationals, or lawful permanent residents and must have earned (or be about to earn) a doctorate within five years of the deadline. Host institutions are limited to U.S. universities, NSF-funded centers, and certain U.S. non-profits; centers funded by other agencies such as NASA or DOE are ineligible. Stated funding is around $110,000.

U.S. National Science Foundation · From $190K

These NSF Mathematical Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowships are awarded to individuals, who submit proposals directly to NSF rather than through an institution, though fellows must affiliate with a host institution. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent residents, have a doctoral degree (conferred no more than two years before January 1 of the award year), propose research in mathematics or statistics, and not have previously held most NSF awards. Eligibility is therefore narrow and individual-specific. Stated funding is around $190,000.

U.S. National Science Foundation · $160K–$170K

This NSF program provides postdoctoral research fellowships in the social, behavioral, and economic sciences, supporting an individual fellow's research and training early in their career. Proposals are submitted by the individual postdoc, not an institution, and the award goes directly to the fellow; applicants must be U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent residents who recently earned (or will soon earn) a doctorate and do not hold a tenure-track position. The fellowship is held at a U.S. institution of higher education or a nonprofit non-academic research organization, with award amounts of roughly $160,000 to $170,000. This is narrowly aimed at eligible individual early-career researchers, not organizations.

Dept of the Army -- Materiel Command · Amount varies

This U.S. Army Research Office broad agency announcement funds collaborative research and fellowships in quantum computing and qubit development through the LPS Qubit Collaboratory. Eligibility is broad, including individuals, universities, nonprofits, small businesses, other for-profits, and FFRDCs, with collaboration alongside a government laboratory. No award amount is listed.

DOC NOAA - ERA Production · $15K–$75K

Open to individuals (as legal entities), commercial organizations, state/local/tribal governments, universities, and nonprofits; federal agencies and employees can't apply, and projects must be conducted in Alaska. Funds marine workforce training, seafood-safety and management education, fishing innovation, and consumer outreach. Awards are small, roughly $15,000–$75,000.

Washington Headquarters Services · $2.5K–$800K

This Department of Defense program funds research on security cooperation and irregular warfare topics, open to individual researchers (with or without institutional affiliation), academic institutions, think tanks, and federally funded R&D centers; past awardees may reapply. Applicants can submit only one proposal at a time as principal investigator, and research products must be unclassified and made publicly accessible. Awards range from $2,500 to $800,000, and the deadline is not imminent.

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 · 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.