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Law & Social Sciences (LSS)

Status: Archived

Archived funding opportunity

This document has been archived. See PD 21-128Y for the latest version.

Important information about NSF’s implementation of the revised 2 CFR

NSF Financial Assistance awards (grants and cooperative agreements) made on or after October 1, 2024, will be subject to the applicable set of award conditions, dated October 1, 2024, available on the NSF website. These terms and conditions are consistent with the revised guidance specified in the OMB Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance published in the Federal Register on April 22, 2024.

Important information for proposers

All proposals must be submitted in accordance with the requirements specified in this funding opportunity and in the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) that is in effect for the relevant due date to which the proposal is being submitted. It is the responsibility of the proposer to ensure that the proposal meets these requirements. Submitting a proposal prior to a specified deadline does not negate this requirement.

Synopsis

The Law & Social Sciences Program considers proposals that address social scientific studies of law and law-like systems of rules. The Program is inherently interdisciplinary and multi-methodological.  Successful proposals describe research that advances scientific theory and understanding of the connections between human behavior and law, legal institutions, or legal processes. Social scientific studies of law often approach law as dynamic, made in multiple arenas, and with the participation of multiple actors. Fields of study include many disciplines, and often address problems including though not limited to:

  • Crime, Violence, and Policing
  • Economic Issues
  • Governance and Courts
  • Human Rights and Comparative Law
  • Legal Decision Making
  • Legal Mobilization and Conceptions of Justice
  • Litigation and the Legal Profession
  • Punishment and Corrections

LSS supports the following types of proposals:

  • Standard Research Grants and Grants for Collaborative Research
  • Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants
  • Conference Awards

LSS also participates in a number of specialized funding opportunities through NSF’s cross-cutting and cross-directorate activities, including, for example:   

  • Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program
  • Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)
  • Research at Undergraduate Institutions (RUI)
  • Grants for Rapid Response Research (RAPID)
  • Early-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER)

For information about these and other programs, please visit the Cross-cutting and NSF-wide Active Funding Opportunities homepage.

Program contacts

Brian Bornstein - Pgm Director
bbornste@nsf.gov (703) 292-5366
Reginald (Reggie) Sheehan-Program Director
rsheehan@nsf.gov (703) 292-5389 SBE/SES
Mauricia Barnett-Social Scientist
mbarnett@nsf.gov (703) 292-7309 SBE/SES
Linh Nguyen-Program Assistant
linguyen@nsf.gov (703) 292-7270 BFA/OAD

Awards made through this program

Browse projects funded by this program
Map of recent awards made through this program