Science & Research Grants for Schools & universities

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 · 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.

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.

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.

U.S. National Science Foundation · $25K–$1.2M

Open to U.S.-based nonprofit non-academic organizations (such as independent museums, observatories, research labs, and professional societies tied to research/education) and to accredited U.S. institutions of higher education acting for their faculty. NSF's Infrastructure Capacity for Biological Research (Capacity) Program funds building or scaling shared research infrastructure in three areas — cyberinfrastructure, biological collections, and biological field stations/marine laboratories — with awards ranging from about $25,000 up to $1.2 million. It excludes instrumentation (use the MRI program) and infrastructure built for a single project or lab; resources are expected to be openly accessible and serve a broad research community.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

NSF's Combustion and Fire Systems program funds fundamental research on combustion science and fire behavior to support clean energy, pollution reduction, and public safety. Eligibility is unrestricted (open to any entity type per NSF's standard rules), but no specific funding amount or deadline is listed in this record, so applicants should consult the full NSF solicitation for award size and submission windows.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

The NSF Economics program supports a broad range of research on the U.S. and world economy, including econometrics, finance, labor, macroeconomics, public finance, and more, plus conferences, data collection, and Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (DDRIGs). Eligibility is unrestricted (open to any entity type per NSF rules), and the program encourages interdisciplinary work and proposals broadening participation. Note that DDRIG proposals must be submitted by a faculty member on behalf of a graduate student, not by the student directly; no specific amount or deadline is listed here.

NASA Headquarters · Amount varies

NASA's umbrella SpaceTech-REDDI-2026 announcement funds space technology research, development, demonstration, and infusion, with specific topics released as appendices throughout the year. Participation is broad — educational, industry, and nonprofit institutions, FFRDCs, UARCs, and other entities — and includes U.S. and, to the extent practicable, non-U.S. organizations, but NASA Centers, NASA civil servants, and JPL cannot receive awards. Each appendix may add its own eligibility limits and deadlines, so applicants must check the individual topic solicitation on NSPIRES.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Up to $200K

NSF's EPSCoR Workshop Opportunities program funds workshops (up to $200,000) addressing multi-jurisdictional research themes, but only for institutions of higher education, eligible nonprofits, or federally recognized tribal nations located within designated EPSCoR-eligible states and territories. Organizations outside EPSCoR-eligible jurisdictions do not qualify, making this a geographically restricted opportunity.

U.S. National Science Foundation · $50K–$600K

This NSF program funds early-stage collaborative projects that build research data infrastructure supporting public access and open science, bringing together cyberinfrastructure researchers, data and library experts, and research labs. Eligibility is unrestricted, so most entity types may apply, though successful projects rely on cross-disciplinary teams typically based at universities and research organizations; proposals are accepted year-round. Awards range from about $50,000 to $600,000.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

This NSF program funds fundamental engineering research to improve quality of life for people with disabilities, covering areas like neuroengineering, rehabilitation robotics, and assistive technologies. Eligibility is unrestricted, so most entity types may apply, though proposals are typically led by universities and research organizations; note that NSF does not support clinical trials and high-risk/high-reward work is encouraged. Funding amounts and deadlines are not specified here.