NSF 09-553: Informal Science Education (ISE)

Program Solicitation
NSF 09-553

Replaces Document(s):
NSF 08-547

 

National Science Foundation Directorate for Education & Human Resources      Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings

 

Preliminary Proposal Due Date(s) (required) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time): 

June 25, 2009

except CRPA proposals

June 24, 2010

except CRPA proposals

Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time):

November 19, 2009

except CRPA proposals

November 18, 2010

except CRPA proposals

Revision Notes

Summary Of Program Requirements

General Information

Program Title: 

Synopsis of Program:

Cognizant Program Officer(s):

• Address Questons to the  Program, telephone: (703)292-8616, email: DRLISE@nsf.gov

Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s):

• 47.076 --- Education and Human Resources

Award Information

Anticipated Type of Award:  Standard Grant or Continuing Grant

Estimated Number of Awards:    40   Approximately 6 Research, 6 Pathways, 20 Full-Scale Development, 3 Broad Implementation, and 5 Communicating Research to Public Audiences awards will be made per year.

Anticipated Funding Amount:   $25,000,000  in FY 2010 and FY 2011 for new awards, pending availability of funds.

Eligibility Information

Organization Limit: 

None Specified

PI Limit: 

For Communicating Research to Public Audiences projects ONLY: PI must hold an active NSF-funded research award in any NSF directorate or program.

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: 

None Specified

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI: 

None Specified

Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

• Letters of Intent: Not Applicable

• Preliminary Proposals: Submission of Preliminary Proposals is required. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.

• Full Proposal Preparation Instructions: This solicitation contains information that supplements the standard NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide, Part I: Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) proposal preparation guidelines. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information

B. Budgetary Information

• Cost Sharing Requirements: Cost Sharing is not required under this solicitation.

• Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations:  Not Applicable

• Other Budgetary Limitations: Other budgetary limitations apply. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.

C. Due Dates

• Preliminary Proposal Due Date(s) (required) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time): 

  June 25, 2009

  except CRPA proposals

  June 24, 2010

  except CRPA proposals

• Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time):

  November 19, 2009

  except CRPA proposals

  November 18, 2010

  except CRPA proposals

Proposal Review Information Criteria

Merit Review Criteria:   National Science Board approved criteria. Additional merit review considerations apply. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.

Award Administration Information

Award Conditions:   Standard NSF award conditions apply.

Reporting Requirements:   Additional reporting requirements apply. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.

Agency Contacts

Other Information

I. Introduction

II. Program Description

III. Award Information

IV. Eligibility Information

Organization Limit: 

None Specified

PI Limit: 

For Communicating Research to Public Audiences projects ONLY: PI must hold an active NSF-funded research award in any NSF directorate or program.

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization: 

None Specified

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI: 

None Specified

Additional Eligibility Info:

The categories of proposers eligible to submit proposals to the National Science Foundation are identified in the Grant Proposal Guide, Chapter I, Section E.

V. Proposal Preparation And Submission Instructions

A. Proposal Preparation Instructions

Preliminary Proposals (required): Preliminary proposals are required and must be submitted via the NSF FastLane system.  

PRELIMINARY PROPOSALS (Required for all proposal types except Communicating Research to Public Audiences):

A preliminary proposal (pre-proposal) is required in order to submit a full proposal for all ISE-specific project types except for Communicating Research to Public Audiences. Preliminary proposals provide an opportunity to assess the responsiveness of the project to the ISE guidelines and the potential to compete successfully in the merit review process.

Preliminary proposals must be submitted in FastLane no later than 5:00 p.m. local time on the due date immediately prior to the full proposal submission date. They are required in all cases, including resubmission of a proposal that has been previously declined. In the case of a resubmission, the proposal must be substantially revised. A new preliminary proposal is required for each round of competition.

The response to a preliminary proposal is either to encourage or discourage submission of a full proposal based on assessment by reviewers of the likelihood that a proposal will be competitive. This assessment is advisory, and full proposals may be submitted in either event. Written reviews provide feedback to PIs to strengthen their proposals.  It is expected that proposals that are encouraged will continue to be clarified and some modifications may be made leading up to the submission of the full proposal; however, the basic concept and structure of the project must remain essentially the same.

The following instructions apply to preliminary proposals submitted to the ISE program:

Submission of a preliminary proposal requires completion of the following forms in FastLane. No additional NSF forms are required.

1. Cover Sheet. Be sure to include the program solicitation number and to check the Preliminary Proposal box.

2. Project Summary. The Project Summary is limited to one single-spaced page. The first sentence must identify the kind of project: Research; Pathways; Full-Scale Development; or Broad Implementation.  The Project Summary is a critical proposal element that must make the essence of the project clear to the reviewer. It must succinctly identify the project's Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts in separate sections under these two headings.  If Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts are not explicitly identified, the proposal will be returned without review.

3. Project Description. The narrative is a condensed version of the Project Description for a full proposal.  The first sentence must identify the kind of project: Research; Pathways; Full-Scale Development; or Broad Implementation. It is limited in length to six single-spaced pages. It must identify the essential features of the project using the same category headings as for full proposals. 

4. Budget (including Justification). The support requested from NSF should be entered in the budget forms generated in FastLane. It is not necessary to enter the budget for each year; an overall cumulative budget for the project is sufficient.

5. Supplementary Documents. Additional documents will NOT be accepted for preliminary proposals.

Other Fastlane forms (i.e., References, Biographical Sketches, Current and Pending Support) should NOT be submitted.

Full Proposal Instructions: Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation should be prepared and submitted in accordance with the guidelines specified in the NSF Grant Proposal Guide (GPG). The complete text of the GPG is available electronically on the NSF website at: https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=gpg. Paper copies of the GPG may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (703) 292-PUBS (7827) or by e-mail from nsfpubs@nsf.gov.  

If a proposal is resubmitted after being previously declined, it must be substantially revised, responding to concerns raised in the written reviews and Panel Summary. If not, the proposal will be returned without review. For full proposals based on previous Pathways Grants, the Final Report must have been submitted by the full proposal deadline date.

All proposals must include: Cover Sheet, Project Summary, Project Description (Narrative), References Cited, Biographical Sketches, Budgets (including Justification), Current and Pending Support, and Supplementary Documents (if applicable). Specific requirements for the ISE program that supplement the GPG Guidelines are described below.  See section 7, Supplementary Documents, for allowable information.

1. Cover Sheet

Proposers are reminded to include the number of this solicitation. Failure to do so will delay processing of the proposal. Proposals that require preliminary proposals must have the preliminary proposal number entered into the appropriate box on the Cover Sheet. Proposers should refer to the NSF Grant Proposal Guide,
https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf0929/gpg_2.jsp#IID7 , for information related to human subjects research.

2. Project Summary 

The Project Summary is limited to one page and is a critical proposal element that must make the essence of the project clear to the reviewer. The first sentence must identify the project type: Research; Pathways; Full-Scale Development; Broad Implementation or Communicating Research to Public Audiences.  It must succinctly identify the project's Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts in separate sections under these two headings.  If Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts are not explicitly identified in the project summary, the proposal will be returned without review. 

3. Project Description (Narrative)

The first sentence must identify the project type: Research; Pathways; Full-Scale Development; Broad Implementation or Communicating Research to Public Audiences.

For consideration by the ISE program, the Project Description must explicitly address all of the areas below. The Project Description is limited to 15 single-spaced pages in length.  Pay particular attention to the NSF typeface and font size requirements in the GPG. 

1. Project Rationale

In this section the proposers should describe the primary project goals, hypotheses, research questions, or issues being addressed; the strategy or approach that will be undertaken; they should clearly identify the STEM focus; and they should make a case for the relevance of the STEM focus and nature and importance of the proposed work.  The investigators must identify the public or professional audience, justify their approach as appropriate for that audience, and articulate the intended impacts. Proposers must explain in what ways the project will advance knowledge, practice, capacity, or other critical aspects of informal STEM learning. They must also explain how the proposed project builds upon the pertinent literature, prior practice, or research of others and of the team.

Results of Prior NSF Support by the PI or co-PIs within the past five years:  The PI and co-PIs must describe relevant prior NSF-funded projects and especially their outcomes in sufficient detail for reviewers to assess the quality of prior efforts and how those relate to the proposed work. If a proposal is based on a prior Pathways project, the findings and accomplishments of that project must be clearly specified, along with the award number and PI name.

2. Project Design

As appropriate to the project type, the proposals should describe the research design, the development, the adaptation, or the implementation plans, or other approaches to be used in accomplishing the project objectives.  Anticipated deliverables should be clearly specified.  Intended learning outcomes and impacts should be provided. As appropriate, proposals should address how the project serves the needs and interests of diverse audiences and incorporates strategies for dissemination to reach targeted audiences, including outreach and other forms of relationship-building.  For research projects, specific methodology and process should be discussed, and a case made that these methods or processes are systematic and suitable; data sources, audiences, methods for piloting and designing, instruments, outcome measures, and analysis plans should be included.

All projects must include an appropriate evaluation plan.  See the Framework for Evaluating Impacts of Informal Science Education Projects (Framework), available at http://www.caise.insci.org/ , for categories of impacts and guidance.

Research projects may be evaluated by an advisory board or other expert group that periodically reviews and reports in writing to the Principal Investigator on the progress of the team.

Pathways projects must conduct internal or external evaluation of what was learned over the course of the project that would inform decision making for subsequent proposals by the project team or others in the field.  Lessons learned should include outcomes of the work that were particularly promising or particularly unpromising, with reasons.

Full-Scale Development projects should include front-end evaluation, formative evaluation, and remedial evaluation where appropriate.   They must also include a summative evaluation conducted by an external evaluator. 

Broad Implementation projects should include an external evaluation.  The evaluation should assess the effectiveness of adaptations to achieve broader dissemination and indicate the quality of the STEM learning experience compared with the original program.  The investigator must report some measure of the project output (such as the number of new learners or communities reached).  We encourage investigators to create new approaches to conceptualizing magnitude of a project's impact.

The goals of many projects will include distributing the developed exhibitions, TV productions, and other products.  Describe the distribution mechanisms and marketing plans to reach intended audiences. Proposals in all categories must describe the plan for disseminating information about the project as widely as possible to interested professional communities and other groups, including both academic researchers and practitioners. Projects are encouraged to explore creative ways to achieve broader impacts.

Note with respect to Institutional Review Board (IRB) Processes:  Most proposals to this solicitation involve research or evaluation studies that will require review by the submitting organization's IRB.  In some cases, the IRB letter will indicate an exemption from IRB review.  In other instances, the project timeline may require that study protocols cannot be finalized until some period after the project has been initiated, and the IRB letter should so indicate.  Information about human subject research can be found in the NSF Grant Proposal Guide.
https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf0929 .

3. Project Management

Explain how the project team and/or partner organizations will work collaboratively to achieve the deliverables and produce impacts that would not otherwise be possible.  Describe the members of team, the collaborators, the senior personnel, advisory committee members, consultants, and contractors. Describe how they provide the relevant experience in STEM content, informal science learning, knowledge of target audiences, media, and research and evaluation.  Provide a scheduled plan of work with major milestones for key project tasks. If applicable, present a logic model or flow chart of the project, including inputs, activities, outputs and outcomes.  

4. References Cited

Include references to relevant research literature in informal learning and other areas that support the proposed strategies and approaches and evaluation.

5. Budgets

All budget requests must be consistent with the project scope and duration.  All budgets (grantee and subawards) must be accompanied by Budget Justifications that include itemizations corresponding to each FastLane budget line item. Requested equipment must be essential components of project deliverables, such as exhibits.

Include under Travel (Line E on the FastLane budget) the cost for the PI to attend a two-day meeting annually at NSF. Each subaward on line G.5 requires a complete set of Proposal Budget forms accompanied by a Budget Justification that includes the basis for selecting the subawardee as well as itemization of expenses and explanations.

6. Other Fastlane Forms

Biographical Sketches: Sketches must be provided for the PI, co-PIs, and other senior project personnel. These sketches need not follow a prescribed format, but must be limited to two pages per person.  Biographical sketches should be sufficiently detailed to show that the necessary expertise is available to conduct the project. 

Current and Pending Support: Required for the PI, co-PIs, and senior project personnel. The proposal being submitted should be listed first and identified as pending.

Facilities, Equipment & Other Resources: Not required for ISE proposals.

7. Supplementary Documents

The 15-page Project Description must provide sufficient information for reviewers to make reasoned judgments about the proposed work.

All ISE proposals are allowed to submit as Supplementary Documents:

• Letters of commitment from consultants, advisors, and organizational partners indicating their roles in the project.

Supplementary Documents--other than letters of commitment--are not allowed for Research, Pathways, and Communicating Research to Public Audiences projects. Proposals submitted in these three categories with additional Supplementary Documents will be returned without review.

For Full-Scale Development and Broad Implementation projects only, it may be necessary to provide a limited amount of additional supporting information. Because reviewers may be asked to assess a substantial number of competing proposals, PIs must be extremely judicious in the number of pages submitted. In most cases PIs should submit executive summaries and illustrative samples of materials rather than complete reports or publications.

For exhibition deliverables:

• Provide floor plans or essential visual representations of exhibits or physical environments to be designed.

• For traveling exhibitions, provide letters of interest from possible host institutions.

• For broadcast media (film, video, radio) deliverables:

• Provide documentation of interest or commitment from a major national or regional broadcast or cable outlet, or an indication of interest and distribution plan for a non-broadcast film.

• Provide a treatment or script for one or more programs in any series of any broadcast media.

For deliverables that involve media that cannot be represented on the printed page:

• Only media that cannot be submitted in Supplementary Documents may be provided as DVD or CD; 15 copies labeled with proposal number, title, and PI, must be sent to: Informal Science Education Program, EHR/DRL, Room 885, National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22230 [phone: (703) 292-8616]. These materials, which will not be returned, must be received within 5 business days following electronic submission; clearly mark the package re: Supplementary Documents and indicate the proposal number.

Note: Supplementary Documents are distinct from Appendices, as stipulated in the Grant Proposal Guide: All information necessary for the review of a proposal must be contained in Sections A through I of the proposal. Appendices may not be included unless a formal deviation has been authorized.  See GPG Chapter II.A for more information about deviations.

Proposers are reminded to identify the program solicitation number (NSF 09-553) in the program solicitation block on the NSF Cover Sheet For Proposal to the National Science Foundation. Compliance with this requirement is critical to determining the relevant proposal processing guidelines. Failure to submit this information may delay processing.

B. Budgetary Information

Cost Sharing:   Cost sharing is not required under this solicitation.

Other Budgetary Limitations:  

Funding for the following are not supported by this program: capital or operating expenses; purchase of major or office equipment; vehicles; undergraduate tuition; paid advertising; admissions or similar fees; school field trips, camps, science fairs or similar competitions; or projects whose primary focus is health or medicine. Funds cannot be requested for costs recovered through the organization's indirect cost rate.

C. Due Dates

• Preliminary Proposal Due Date(s) (required) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time): 

  June 25, 2009

  except CRPA proposals

  June 24, 2010

  except CRPA proposals

• Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time):

  November 19, 2009

  except CRPA proposals

  November 18, 2010

  except CRPA proposals

D. FastLane Requirements

Proposers are required to prepare and submit all proposals for this program solicitation through use of the NSF FastLane system. Detailed instructions regarding the technical aspects of proposal preparation and submission via FastLane are available at: http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/a1/newstan.htm. For FastLane user support, call the FastLane Help Desk at 1-800-673-6188 or e-mail fastlane@nsf.gov. The FastLane Help Desk answers general technical questions related to the use of the FastLane system. Specific questions related to this program solicitation should be referred to the NSF program staff contact(s) listed in Section VIII of this funding opportunity.

Submission of Electronically Signed Cover Sheets. The Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) must electronically sign the proposal Cover Sheet to submit the required proposal certifications (see Chapter II, Section C of the Grant Proposal Guide for a listing of the certifications). The AOR must provide the required electronic certifications within five working days following the electronic submission of the proposal. Further instructions regarding this process are available on the FastLane Website at: https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/fastlane.jsp.

VI. NSF Proposal Processing And Review Procedures   

Proposals received by NSF are assigned to the appropriate NSF program where they will be reviewed if they meet NSF proposal preparation requirements. All proposals are carefully reviewed by a scientist, engineer, or educator serving as an NSF Program Officer, and usually by three to ten other persons outside NSF who are experts in the particular fields represented by the proposal. These reviewers are selected by Program Officers charged with the oversight of the review process. Proposers are invited to suggest names of persons they believe are especially well qualified to review the proposal and/or persons they would prefer not review the proposal. These suggestions may serve as one source in the reviewer selection process at the Program Officer's discretion. Submission of such names, however, is optional. Care is taken to ensure that reviewers have no conflicts of interest with the proposal.

A. NSF Merit Review Criteria

All NSF proposals are evaluated through use of the two National Science Board (NSB)-approved merit review criteria: intellectual merit and the broader impacts of the proposed effort. In some instances, however, NSF will employ additional criteria as required to highlight the specific objectives of certain programs and activities.

The two NSB-approved merit review criteria are listed below. The criteria include considerations that help define them. These considerations are suggestions and not all will apply to any given proposal. While proposers must address both merit review criteria, reviewers will be asked to address only those considerations that are relevant to the proposal being considered and for which the reviewer is qualified to make judgements.

NSF staff also will give careful consideration to the following in making funding decisions:

Integrating Diversity into NSF Programs, Projects, and Activities
Broadening opportunities and enabling the participation of all citizens -- women and men, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities -- is essential to the health and vitality of science and engineering. NSF is committed to this principle of diversity and deems it central to the programs, projects, and activities it considers and supports.

Additional Review Criteria:

Each proposal will be reviewed for the strength of the case it makes for the project rationale, design, and management, i.e., the significance of the problem being addressed and possible impact, the innovative ideas being brought to the problem, and the quality of the overall team and its collaborative processes.

B. Review and Selection Process

Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation will be reviewed by Ad hoc Review and/or Panel Review.

Reviewers will be asked to formulate a recommendation to either support or decline each proposal. The Program Officer assigned to manage the proposal's review will consider the advice of reviewers and will formulate a recommendation.

After scientific, technical and programmatic review and consideration of appropriate factors, the NSF Program Officer recommends to the cognizant Division Director whether the proposal should be declined or recommended for award. NSF is striving to be able to tell applicants whether their proposals have been declined or recommended for funding within six months. The time interval begins on the deadline or target date, or receipt date, whichever is later.  The interval ends when the Division Director accepts the Program Officer's recommendation.

A summary rating and accompanying narrative will be completed and submitted by each reviewer. In all cases, reviews are treated as confidential documents. Verbatim copies of reviews, excluding the names of the reviewers, are sent to the Principal Investigator/Project Director by the Program Officer.  In addition, the proposer will receive an explanation of the decision to award or decline funding.

In all cases, after programmatic approval has been obtained, the proposals recommended for funding will be forwarded to the Division of Grants and Agreements for review of business, financial, and policy implications and the processing and issuance of a grant or other agreement. Proposers are cautioned that only a Grants and Agreements Officer may make commitments, obligations or awards on behalf of NSF or authorize the expenditure of funds. No commitment on the part of NSF should be inferred from technical or budgetary discussions with a NSF Program Officer. A Principal Investigator or organization that makes financial or personnel commitments in the absence of a grant or cooperative agreement signed by the NSF Grants and Agreements Officer does so at their own risk.

VII. Award Administration Information

A. Notification of the Award

Notification of the award is made to the submitting organization by a Grants Officer in the Division of Grants and Agreements. Organizations whose proposals are declined will be advised as promptly as possible by the cognizant NSF Program administering the program. Verbatim copies of reviews, not including the identity of the reviewer, will be provided automatically to the Principal Investigator. (See Section VI.B. for additional information on the review process.)

B. Award Conditions

An NSF award consists of: (1) the award letter, which includes any special provisions applicable to the award and any numbered amendments thereto; (2) the budget, which indicates the amounts, by categories of expense, on which NSF has based its support (or otherwise communicates any specific approvals or disapprovals of proposed expenditures); (3) the proposal referenced in the award letter; (4) the applicable award conditions, such as Grant General Conditions (GC-1); * or Research Terms and Conditions * and (5) any announcement or other NSF issuance that may be incorporated by reference in the award letter. Cooperative agreements also are administered in accordance with NSF Cooperative Agreement Financial and Administrative Terms and Conditions (CA-FATC) and the applicable Programmatic Terms and Conditions. NSF awards are electronically signed by an NSF Grants and Agreements Officer and transmitted electronically to the organization via e-mail.

*These documents may be accessed electronically on NSF's Website at
https://www.nsf.gov/awards/managing/award_conditions.jsp?org=NSF. Paper copies may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (703) 292-7827 or by e-mail from nsfpubs@nsf.gov.

More comprehensive information on NSF Award Conditions and other important information on the administration of NSF awards is contained in the NSF Award & Administration Guide (AAG) Chapter II, available electronically on the NSF Website at
https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=aag.

C. Reporting Requirements

For all multi-year grants (including both standard and continuing grants), the Principal Investigator must submit an annual project report to the cognizant Program Officer at least 90 days before the end of the current budget period. (Some programs or awards require more frequent project reports). Within 90 days after expiration of a grant, the PI also is required to submit a final project report.

Failure to provide the required annual or final project reports will delay NSF review and processing of any future funding increments as well as any pending proposals for that PI. PIs should examine the formats of the required reports in advance to assure availability of required data.

PIs are required to use NSF's electronic project-reporting system, available through FastLane, for preparation and submission of annual and final project reports.  Such reports provide information on activities and findings, project participants (individual and organizational) publications; and, other specific products and contributions.  PIs will not be required to re-enter information previously provided, either with a proposal or in earlier updates using the electronic system.  Submission of the report via FastLane constitutes certification by the PI that the contents of the report are accurate and complete.  

PIs are required to submit final evaluation reports of the project for posting to the web site http://www.informalscience.org/ (or other sites designated by ISE) as part of submission of the Final Report  and (2) provide project data via the ISE program online project management system. PIs may be requested to provide additional project data for ISE program analysis and evaluation

VIII. Agency Contacts

General inquiries regarding this program should be made to:

• Address Questons to the   Program, telephone: (703)292-8616, email: DRLISE@nsf.gov

For questions related to the use of FastLane, contact:

• FastLane Help Desk, telephone: 1-800-673-6188; e-mail: fastlane@nsf.gov.

For administrative questions contact:

• Phyliss Minn, Senior Program Assistant, pminn@nsf.gov or (703) 292-5087.

IX. Other Information

The NSF Website provides the most comprehensive source of information on NSF Directorates (including contact information), programs and funding opportunities. Use of this Website by potential proposers is strongly encouraged. In addition, National Science Foundation Update is a free e-mail subscription service designed to keep potential proposers and other interested parties apprised of new NSF funding opportunities and publications, important changes in proposal and award policies and procedures, and upcoming NSF Regional Grants Conferences. Subscribers are informed through e-mail when new publications are issued that match their identified interests. Users can subscribe to this service by clicking the "Get NSF Updates by Email" link on the NSF web site.

Grants.gov provides an additional electronic capability to search for Federal government-wide grant opportunities. NSF funding opportunities may be accessed via this new mechanism. Further information on Grants.gov may be obtained at http://www.grants.gov.

About The National Science Foundation

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent Federal agency created by the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended (42 USC 1861-75). The Act states the purpose of the NSF is "to promote the progress of science; [and] to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare by supporting research and education in all fields of science and engineering."

NSF funds research and education in most fields of science and engineering. It does this through grants and cooperative agreements to more than 2,000 colleges, universities, K-12 school systems, businesses, informal science organizations and other research organizations throughout the US. The Foundation accounts for about one-fourth of Federal support to academic institutions for basic research.

NSF receives approximately 40,000 proposals each year for research, education and training projects, of which approximately 11,000 are funded. In addition, the Foundation receives several thousand applications for graduate and postdoctoral fellowships. The agency operates no laboratories itself but does support National Research Centers, user facilities, certain oceanographic vessels and Antarctic research stations. The Foundation also supports cooperative research between universities and industry, US participation in international scientific and engineering efforts, and educational activities at every academic level.

Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities provide funding for special assistance or equipment to enable persons with disabilities to work on NSF-supported projects. See Grant Proposal Guide Chapter II, Section D.2 for instructions regarding preparation of these types of proposals.

The National Science Foundation has Telephonic Device for the Deaf (TDD) and Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) capabilities that enable individuals with hearing impairments to communicate with the Foundation about NSF programs, employment or general information. TDD may be accessed at (703) 292-5090 and (800) 281-8749, FIRS at (800) 877-8339.

The National Science Foundation Information Center may be reached at (703) 292-5111.

The National Science Foundation promotes and advances scientific progress in the United States by competitively awarding grants and cooperative agreements for research and education in the sciences, mathematics, and engineering. To get the latest information about program deadlines, to download copies of NSF publications, and to access abstracts of awards, visit the NSF Website at https://www.nsf.gov Location: 4201 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA 22230 For General Information (NSF Information Center): (703) 292-5111 TDD (for the hearing-impaired): (703) 292-5090 To Order Publications or Forms:   Send an e-mail to: nsfpubs@nsf.gov or telephone: (703) 292-7827 To Locate NSF Employees: (703) 292-5111

Privacy Act And Public Burden Statements

The information requested on proposal forms and project reports is solicited under the authority of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended. The information on proposal forms will be used in connection with the selection of qualified proposals; and project reports submitted by awardees will be used for program evaluation and reporting within the Executive Branch and to Congress. The information requested may be disclosed to qualified reviewers and staff assistants as part of the proposal review process; to proposer institutions/grantees to provide or obtain data regarding the proposal review process, award decisions, or the administration of awards; to government contractors, experts, volunteers and researchers and educators as necessary to complete assigned work; to other government agencies or other entities needing information regarding applicants or nominees as part of a joint application review process, or in order to coordinate programs or policy; and to another Federal agency, court, or party in a court or Federal administrative proceeding if the government is a party. Information about Principal Investigators may be added to the Reviewer file and used to select potential candidates to serve as peer reviewers or advisory committee members. See Systems of Records, NSF-50, "Principal Investigator/Proposal File and Associated Records," 69 Federal Register 26410 (May 12, 2004), and NSF-51, "Reviewer/Proposal File and Associated Records, " 69 Federal Register 26410 (May 12, 2004). Submission of the information is voluntary. Failure to provide full and complete information, however, may reduce the possibility of receiving an award.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, an information collection unless it displays a valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The OMB control number for this collection is 3145-0058. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 120 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions. Send comments regarding the burden estimate and any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to:

Suzanne H. Plimpton
Reports Clearance Officer
Division of Administrative Services
National Science Foundation
Arlington, VA 22230