Biological Sciences Grants (Assistance Listing 47.074)

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

This NSF PESOSE program supports turning open-source science and engineering research products into secure, sustainable ecosystems, and eligibility is broad: U.S.-based for-profit organizations (including small businesses), non-profit non-academic organizations, federal agencies and FFRDCs, state and local governments, U.S. institutions of higher education, and federally recognized Tribal Nations may apply. PIs generally must be U.S.-resident employees of the applicant; foreign organizations and overseas branch campuses are not eligible. No specific award amount is stated; the deadline is September 1, 2026.

U.S. National Science Foundation · From $220K

This NSF program funds Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology for research and training at the intersection of artificial intelligence and biological sciences. Proposals are submitted by the individual fellow (not the host institution), and applicants must be U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent residents who are recent doctoral recipients early in their careers, with several eligibility limits (e.g., on prior postdoctoral experience and number of prior submissions). The minimum award is listed around $220,000. This is for individual early-career researchers, not organizations, and has narrow eligibility criteria.

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 · $600K–$2M

NSF Translation to Practice (TTP) program funding the translation of research results toward real-world products, services, and partnerships. Eligibility is limited to US nonprofits/non-academic research organizations and US institutions of higher education, and the PI must hold a tenured/tenure-track or full-time research/teaching appointment; the TTP-E track additionally requires an active eligible NSF research award. Awards range from about $600,000 up to $2,000,000. Eligibility is narrow given the active-award and appointment requirements.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

This NSF INCLUDES program funds collaborative, national-scale efforts to broaden participation and build inclusive infrastructure in STEM, supporting pilots, consortia, alliances, network connectors, and conferences. Eligibility is relatively broad: for-profit organizations including small businesses, nonprofit non-academic organizations, state and local governments, institutions of higher education, and federally recognized tribal nations may apply. No specific award amounts are listed. This is a research and capacity-building opportunity open to a range of organizations, though not to individuals.

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 · Amount varies

This NSF program funds open-science work such as research data management, cyberinfrastructure, and scientific publication models that make research data findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable. Eligibility is limited to U.S. institutions of higher education, non-profit non-academic research organizations, federally recognized tribal nations, and certain federal agencies and FFRDCs. No award amount is listed.

U.S. National Science Foundation · $4M–$20M

An NSF program funding mid-scale research infrastructure (instrumentation, cyberinfrastructure, large datasets, and design activities). Eligible applicants are U.S. higher-education institutions, certain nonprofit non-degree-granting research organizations with 501(c)(3) status, and qualifying consortia; for-profit and small businesses may only participate through subawards, not as lead applicants. Awards are large, roughly $4,000,000 to about $20,000,000. This is a major research-infrastructure award, not a fit for general nonprofits, small businesses as primary applicants, or individuals.

U.S. National Science Foundation · $2M–$3M

This NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) program funds universities to develop interdisciplinary STEM graduate training models in high-priority research areas. Only U.S. institutions of higher education may apply, and the PI must be a faculty member at the submitting institution, so this is restricted to higher education. Awards range from roughly $2,000,000 to $3,000,000. Individuals, nonprofits, and businesses are not eligible to apply directly.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

This NSF program funds quantum testbeds within the National Quantum Virtual Laboratory, advancing use-inspired quantum information science and technology. Eligibility for the Design and Implementation phases is contingent on having an existing pilot or design project in the same topical area and a positive site-visit review, so it is staged and not open to first-time entry at those phases; the lead organization type is otherwise unrestricted. No award amount is listed.

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

An NSF EPSCoR program funding interjurisdictional research collaborations in STEM, open to higher-education institutions, certain nonprofit research organizations with 501(c)(3) status, and Tribal governments located in EPSCoR-eligible jurisdictions. Applicants and investigators must be in EPSCoR jurisdictions and projects must span at least two such jurisdictions, which is a significant geographic restriction. Awards run roughly $1,000,000 to $1,500,000. Not a fit for organizations outside EPSCoR-eligible jurisdictions or without a research mission.

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 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

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 · $5K–$5M

NSF's Division of Environmental Biology funds ecological and evolutionary research from populations to ecosystems, with award amounts ranging widely from about $5,000 up to $5,000,000. Eligibility is restricted to U.S. nonprofit research organizations and accredited institutions of higher education, so general nonprofits, small businesses, and individuals do not qualify.

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 · 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 · Amount varies

This NSF EPSCoR program funds research fellowships that build research capacity for investigators in EPSCoR-eligible jurisdictions through collaborative visits to host institutions. Eligibility is restricted to organizations located in RII-eligible jurisdictions, and proposals are limited to single early- or mid-career PIs at eligible institutions of higher education or non-degree-granting nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status; postdocs in transitional appointments are not eligible. No award amount is listed.

U.S. National Science Foundation · $1.2M–$3.6M

An NSF program funding interdisciplinary convergence research teams tackling complex scientific or societal problems. Eligible applicants are U.S. higher-education institutions and certain nonprofit non-academic research/education organizations, with principal investigators required to hold full-time research or teaching appointments. Awards are large, roughly $1,200,000 to $3,600,000. This targets academic research teams, not general nonprofits, small businesses, or individuals.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

This NSF program (HBCU Excellence in Research) is restricted to accredited Historically Black Colleges and Universities that have faculty conducting research in science, engineering, or STEM education. The PI must be a full-time faculty member or researcher at the submitting HBCU, so no other organization type is eligible. It aims to build research capacity at HBCUs, particularly those less successful in larger NSF competitions. No specific award amount is stated in this record.

U.S. National Science Foundation · $300K–$800K

This NSF program is open to U.S. institutions of higher education and U.S. non-profit, non-academic research organizations (such as independent museums, observatories, and research labs); for-profit businesses and individuals cannot apply directly. It funds the design of novel or greatly improved research tools and methods (in bioinformatics, instrumentation, and research methods) that advance biological research broadly. Awards typically range from about $300,000 to $800,000, and the infrastructure produced must be useful to a community of researchers beyond a single team.

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 · $100K–$4M

NSF Major Research Instrumentation program funding the acquisition or development of multi-user research instruments. Eligibility is limited to US institutions of higher education and US not-for-profit, non-degree-granting research organizations with 501(c)(3) status; for-profit firms can participate only as subaward partners and cannot apply directly. Awards range from about $100,000 up to $4,000,000. This is narrowly scoped to research institutions and large in size.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

An NSF program providing protected time and resources to help mid-career scientists advance their research, typically through a partnership at another institution. Eligible applicants are U.S. higher-education institutions and certain nonprofit non-academic research organizations; the principal investigator must be at the Associate Professor rank (or equivalent) for at least three years, so this is restricted to established faculty. No award amount is specified. Not a fit for general nonprofits, small businesses, or individuals without a qualifying faculty appointment.

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

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.