Funder: National Science Foundation
Due Dates: August 15, 2025
Funding Amounts: No specified ceiling or floor; typical NSF social science awards range from $100,000–$500,000 over 1–3 years.
Summary: Supports basic research on attitudes, behavior, and institutions related to public policy and services, emphasizing theoretical, methodological, and empirical rigor.
Key Information: Program does not fund applied research; proposals must be theoretically motivated and methodologically rigorous.
The Accountable Institutions and Behavior (AIB) Program supports basic scientific research that advances knowledge and understanding of issues broadly related to attitudes, behavior, and institutions connected to public policy and the provision of public services. The program is open to research in both democratic and non-democratic settings and encourages proposals that are theoretically motivated, conceptually precise, methodologically rigorous, and empirically oriented.
Substantive areas of interest include, but are not limited to:
Research may focus on a single case or adopt a comparative approach, either over time or cross-sectionally. The program also supports research experiences for undergraduate students and infrastructural activities, including methodological innovations. Applied research is not supported.
Researchers are encouraged to review related NSF programs, such as Law and Science (LS), Security and Preparedness (SAP), and Research Infrastructure in the Social and Behavioral Sciences (RISBS).
| Name | Phone | Organization | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan E. Leighley | jleighle@nsf.gov | (703) 292-2496 | SBE/SES |
| Lee D. Walker | lwalker@nsf.gov | (703) 292-7174 | SBE/SES |
| NSF Grants.gov Support | grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov |
For general NSF inquiries: