National Science Foundation

• NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG)

The Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) is the source for information about NSF's proposal and award process.

This page highlights key guidance you'll need to follow as you prepare your proposal to the U.S. National Science Foundation. 

• Preparing Your Proposal

You must include the four documents outlined here for each of the senior/key personnel involved in your proposal to the U.S. National Science Foundation.

• Biosketch – Must be completed in SciENCV
• Current and Pending - Must be completed in SciENCV
• Synergistic Activities  (see PDF below)
• Collaborators and Other Affiliations (see PDF below)

• Budget Instructions

• Data Management Plans
• Data Management and Sharing Plan Examples

As of 2024, the mentoring plan has been expanded to include postdoctoral researchers and graduate students. While you will find many templates online, NSF does not endorse a prescriptive format and encourages researchers to lead the way in creating unique strategies for supporting their mentees.

• NSF 101: The Mentoring Plan 
• New Requirements for Graduate Students
• Mentoring and Individual Development Plans

The U.S. National Science Foundation's policy is to foster safe and harassment-free environments wherever science is conducted.

• Safe and Inclusive Fieldwork Plans

The 1-page project summary provides an overview of the proposed activity, a statement on its intellectual merit, and a statement on its broader impacts.  

• Guide to Writing 1-pagers 
• Stanford Grant Writing Academy 
• MIT Summary Template 

The Project Description should provide a clear statement of the work to be undertaken and must include the objectives for the period of the proposed work and expected significance; the relationship of this work to the present state of knowledge in the field, as well as to work in progress by the PI under other support.

• Project description 
  This also includes other sections of an NSF submission as well.
• References Cited
• Facilities, Equipment, and Other Resources

If your project involves live vertebrate animals, the U.S. National Science Foundation requires that one of the following must be in place before it issues an award:

• Approval from an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and Public Health Service (PHS)-approved Animal Welfare Assurance. Or:

• A determination by an organization's IACUC that the project is exempt from IACUC oversight.

• Research Involving Vertebrate Animals

• Research Involving Human Subjects