By Marc Smithers, Grants Development Associate – Higher Education
For institutions of higher education, the National Science Foundation is a large source of federal funding, providing a quarter of the federal government’s budgetary support for colleges and universities. Many colleges and universities, K-12 schools, and other research institutions have not explored the plethora of programs offered by the NSF and may not even know where to begin to search for NSF opportunities.
The first step an institution should take on its funding journey is to understand the mission and goals of the NSF. The agency exists to "promote the progress of science, advance national health, prosperity, and welfare, and secure the national defense." The main way they achieve this mission is by awarding grants for scientific research and education, fueling innovation and exploration at colleges and universities, primary and secondary schools, and research institutions. (https://new.nsf.gov/about) In addition to administrative offices, the NSF is divided into eight directorates, each focused on a different aspect of scientific research and education, that release funding opportunities, review proposals, and ultimately make awards. These range from the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering to the Director for STEM Education. By reviewing the mission and organization of the NSF, colleges, and universities who have never explored NSF funding will learn that a project must have a strong basis in scientific research to be a competitive proposal.
The second step in seeking NSF funding is to connect with faculty at your institution who may serve as the principal investigator, or PI, for your project. A PI typically has an advanced degree in the area that your project is focused on though the NSF does not require PIs to have a terminal degree. While the PI serves as the project lead, many programs within the NSF require some form of partnership either within the institution or external partnerships, such as researcher-practitioner partnerships that are required in the Computer Science for All program. These partnerships consist of computer science faculty researchers and pre-K-12 practitioners, such as teachers, administrators, and counselors. In this program, and nearly all other NSF funding opportunities, collaboration will be an essential component of a competitive proposal.
Institutions considering applying for NSF funding should keep two key questions as a central focus in their planning. The first question to ask is: what is the project's intellectual merit, or how is this project ultimately advancing scientific knowledge in this area? The second question to ask is: what are the project’s broader impacts, or how will this project benefit other scientific fields and greater society beyond our institution? These two questions are important criteria by which the NSF makes funding decisions, and institutions that are seeking NSF funding clearly and concisely must describe their project's intellectual merit and its potential for broader impact. If an institution is considering applying for the Advancing Informal STEM Learning program for example, institutions should develop a project that seeks to expand scientific knowledge and has impacts beyond their campus rather than just considering ways that their students, faculty, or staff may benefit from the program.
Funding available through the National Science Foundation can enable institutions to meet some of their technology needs and ultimately help them to innovate their educational offerings and research opportunities. By understanding its mission and organization, having a strong Principal Investigator, and understanding the two key questions by which they evaluate proposals, institutions of higher education can create a competitive proposal.