Sciences

Here is a list of public and private sponsors who support initiatives in the sciences.

You can also review a list of common federal granting agencies or search the COS database.

American Association of University Women (AAUW): Seeks to advance educational and professional opportunities for women in the United States and around the globe. Provides grants and fellowships, including:

• American Fellowships: Supports women scholars completing doctoral dissertations, conducting postdoctoral research, or finishing research for publication. Awards for research leave fellowships are $30,000; awards for short-term or summer research publication grants are $6,000.
• Community Action Grants: Provides seed money to women and local community-based nonprofit organizations for innovative programs or non-degree research projects that promote education and equity for women and girls. Awards range from $2,000 to $10,000 over one to two years.

American Philosophical Society (APS): Provides fellowships and research grants for a variety of areas, including general publication support, exploratory field studies, APS Library residency, and Native American studies. Programs include:

• Franklin Research Grants: Supports the cost of research leading to publication in all areas of knowledge. Provides up to $6,000 for supplies/expenses. 
• The Lewis and Clark Fund for Exploration and Field Research in Astrobiology: Supports the study of the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life on Earth and in the universe. It encompasses research in, among others, the fields of astronomy, chemistry, evolutionary biology, field and population biology, geology, microbiology, molecular biology, oceanography, paleontology, and planetary science. Awards are up to $5,000 for travel and related expenses, such as field equipment.
• Library Resident Research Fellowship: Offers short-term residential fellowships for conducting research in the APS Library. A stipend of $2,500 per month is awarded for a minimum of one month and a maximum of three months.

Army Research Office: Seeks research proposals for basic and scientific research in mechanical sciences, environmental sciences, mathematical and computer sciences, electronics, computational and information sciences, physics, chemistry, life sciences, and materials science. Proposals will be evaluated only if they are for scientific study and experimentation directed toward advancing the state of the art or increasing knowledge and understanding. Awards range from $50,000 to $200,000, depending on the program.

Environmental Research and Education Foundation: Supports solid waste research and education initiatives, with the goal to achieve greater sustainability, good environmental stewardship, higher process efficiency, and increased knowledge. Awards range from $15,000 to over $500,000, with the average grant being $100,000.

Hewlett-Packard: Supports transforming classic STEM education into learning experiences that better meet the needs of today's students, including online education, teacher preparation, global collaborations, and innovative approaches to measure STEM competencies using technology. Awards include HP technology and professional services, plus $20,000 cash.

The Joyce Foundation: Supports efforts to protect the natural environment of the Great Lakes, to reduce poverty and violence in the region, and to ensure that its people have access to good schools, decent jobs, and a diverse and thriving culture. Recent awards have ranged from $25,000 to $200,000. 

Charles A. Lindbergh Fund: Supports research or educational projects that will contribute to a balance between technology and environmental preservation. Grants are made in many categories, including aviation/aerospace, conservation of natural resources, health, and waste minimization. Awards are $10,580 (a symbolic amount representing the cost of the Spirit of St. Louis). 

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA): Supports research in science and technology as an important part of NASA's overall mission. NASA solicits this research through the release of various research announcements in a wide range of science and technology disciplines. Example program:

• Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES): Solicits basic and applied research in support of NASA's Science Mission Directorate. This covers all aspects of basic and applied supporting research and technology in space and Earth sciences. Awards range from $100,000 to $1 million over four years.

National Geographic: Supports scientific field research and exploration. All proposed projects must have both a geographical dimension and relevance to other scientific fields and be of broad scientific interest. Disciplines include anthropology, archaeology, astronomy, biology, botany, geography, and geology. Awards range from $15,000 to $20,000.

National Institutes of Health (NIH): Supports the advancement of fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems to meet the NIH mission of extending healthy life and reducing the burdens of illness and disability. While NIH awards many grants specifically for research, they also fund research-related activities, including training, career development, and conferences. Example program:

• Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA): Supports small-scale health-related research projects, specifically in biomedical and behavioral research. Awards are $300,000.

National Science Foundation (NSF): Exists as an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense." Funding areas include biological sciences, computer and information sciences, education and human resources, geosciences, mathematical and physical sciences, and social, behavioral, and economic sciences. Example programs:

• Major Research Instrumentation (MRI): Serves to increase access to shared scientific and engineering instruments for research and research training. The program allows for acquisition or development of instruments. Awards range from $100,000 to $4 million.
• Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites: Supports active research participation by undergraduate students in any of the areas of research funded by NSF. REU Sites are based on independent proposals to initiate and conduct projects that engage a number of students in research. Awards range from  $70,000 to $110,000 per year, over one to five years.
• Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI): Supports high-quality research by faculty members of predominantly undergraduate institutions, strengthens the research environment in academic departments that are oriented primarily toward undergraduate instruction, and promotes the integration of research and education.  All NSF directorates participate in the RUI program. RUI proposals are evaluated and funded by the NSF programs in the disciplinary areas of the proposed research. Awards vary depending on discipline/NSF program.
• Transforming Undergraduate Education in STEM (TUES): The Course, Curriculum and Laboratory Improvement (CCLI) has changed to TUES. Supports projects that have the potential to transform undergraduate STEM education. Type 1 (early stage) awards are up to $200,000.  

National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association: Funds projects in the field of wildlife rehabilitation, including wildlife medicine and wildlife education. Awards average $1,000 to $3,000.

Irwin Andrew Porter Foundation: Funds innovative projects that foster connections between individuals, communities, the environment, and the world at large. The foundation funds in a broad range of focus areas and is most interested in projects that require and/or inspire those directly benefiting from the project to give back to their communities. Recent awards have ranged from $500 to $30,000.

Research Corporation: The Cottrell College Science Awards program provides funds for single or multi-investigator (2-3 faculty) projects. Research is supported in astronomy, chemistry, physics, and closely related fields at predominantly undergraduate institutions. The overall goal is to provide seed funding for significant research that will enhance the professional and scholarly development of beginning faculty. Awards are $35,000 for single investigator projects, $75,000 for projects with two investigators, and $100,000 for projects with three investigators.

Samuel Rubin Foundation: Supports the pursuit of peace and justice and the search for an equitable reallocation of the world's resources. Awards average $5,000 to $10,000.

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation: Supports projects in several categories: Basic Research in science, technology, engineering and mathematics; Science Education; Public Understanding of Science; Economic Performance and Quality of Life. Awards average $50,000.

John Templeton Foundation: Supports research across many topics, including creativity, freedom, gratitude, love, and purpose. The Foundation welcomes proposals that bring together these overlapping elements, especially by combining the tools and approaches of different disciplines. Awards range from $10,000 to over $1 million.

U.S. Department of Education (ED): Promotes student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access. Example programs:

• Education Research: Supports research activities that will result in the provision of high quality education for all children, improvement in student academic achievement, reduction in the achievement gap between high-performing and low-performing students, and increased access to and opportunity for postsecondary education. Awards range from$75,000 to $2 million.
• Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education: Supports and disseminates innovative reform projects that promise to be models for improving the quality of postsecondary education and increasing student access. Awards average $700,000.
• Mathematics and Science Partnerships: Supports programs to improve the content knowledge of teachers and the performance of students in the areas of mathematics and science. Must involve partnerships, which include, at a minimum, a high-need local educational agency and the mathematics, science, or engineering department of a university. Awards average $3 million.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Carries out its mission to protect human health and the environment. Grant programs cover a range of activities, including environmental education, pollution prevention, environmental science and engineering research, and water-related issues. Example programs:

• Environmental Education: Supports environmental education projects that enhance the public's awareness, knowledge, and skills to help people make informed decisions that affect environmental quality. Average awards range from $25,000 to $35,000.
• Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: Provides funding to address the most significant Great Lakes ecosystem problems and efforts in five major focus areas. Awards range from $100,000 to over $2 million, depending on project type.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service