Atom | Security and Preparedness

Due Dates: August 15, 2025 (Full proposals)

Funding Amounts: No specified ceiling; typical NSF social science awards range from $100,000–$500,000 over 1–3 years.

Summary: Supports basic research advancing knowledge of global and national security, emphasizing theoretical, methodological, and empirical rigor.

Key Information: Applied research is not funded; proposals must align with NSF’s intellectual merit and broader impacts criteria.

Description

The Security and Preparedness (SAP) Program from the National Science Foundation (NSF) funds basic scientific research that advances understanding of issues broadly related to global and national security. The program is designed to support theoretically motivated, conceptually precise, methodologically rigorous, and empirically oriented research. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

Conflict and dispute resolution
International and comparative political economy
Domestic political instability and conflict processes
Security implications of natural hazards and stressors

The program also supports research experiences for undergraduate students and infrastructural activities, including methodological innovations. Applied research is not eligible for funding under this program.

Researchers are encouraged to review related NSF programs, such as Accountable Institutions and Behavior (AIB), Law and Science (LS), and Research Infrastructure in the Social and Behavioral Sciences (RISBS).

Due Dates

Full Proposal Deadline: August 15, 2025

Proposals must be submitted in accordance with the requirements in the current NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG).

Funding Amount

Award Size: No explicit maximum or minimum; typical NSF social science awards are in the range of $100,000–$500,000 total costs.
Award Duration: Usually 1–3 years.
Cost Sharing: Not required.

Funding is subject to the availability of funds and the quality of proposals.

Eligibility

Eligible Applicants: Unrestricted; open to all categories of proposers, including universities, colleges, non-profit organizations, and for-profit organizations, subject to NSF’s general eligibility requirements.
Eligible Projects: Must be basic research (not applied), theoretically motivated, and methodologically rigorous.
Student Involvement: Proposals supporting undergraduate research experiences are encouraged.

Application Process

Submission Portal: Proposals must be submitted via Research.gov or Grants.gov.
Required Documents: Follow the NSF PAPPG for formatting and content requirements.
Review Criteria: Proposals are evaluated on intellectual merit and broader impacts.
Award Conditions: Awards made on or after October 1, 2024, are subject to updated NSF award conditions (details here).

Additional Information

The program does not fund applied research.
Proposals must clearly articulate their theoretical motivation, conceptual precision, methodological rigor, and empirical orientation.
Researchers are encouraged to explore related NSF programs for potential fit or collaboration.
NSF will stop accepting proposals via the FastLane website; use Research.gov or Grants.gov for submissions.

External Links

Contact Information

Name	Email	Phone	Organization
James I. Walsh	jwalsh@nsf.gov	(703) 292-4689	SBE/SES
Lee D. Walker	lwalker@nsf.gov	(703) 292-7174	SBE/SES
NSF Grants.gov Support	grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov	—	NSF

For general NSF inquiries:

NSF Contact Page
Email: info@nsf.gov
Phone: 1-703-292-5111