National Science Foundation

Extracted Attributes

• Employees

  2,100

• Agency Type

  Independent Federal Agency

• Headquarters

  Washington, D.C., United States

• Governing Body

  National Science Board (24 members appointed by the President)

• Inception Date

  1950-05-10

• Annual Grant Awards

  Approximately 11,000 new awards per year

• Founding Legislation

  National Science Foundation Act of 1950 (Public Law 81-507)

• Research Funding Share

  Approximately 25% of all federally supported basic research at U.S. colleges and universities

• Annual Budget (FY 2026)

  $8.75 billion

• Annual Spending (FY 2024)

  $9.39 billion

Timeline

• Vannevar Bush publishes the landmark report 'Science—The Endless Frontier', recommending the creation of a federal agency to support basic research. (Source: Web search results)

  1945-07-01

• The National Science Foundation is officially established following the passage of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 (Public Law 81-507). (Source: Wikidata)

  1950-05-10

• NSF reports spending $9.39 billion in fiscal year 2024, representing 0.1% of overall U.S. federal spending. (Source: USAFacts)

  2024-09-30

National Science Foundation

The United States National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health. With an annual budget of about $8.75 billion (fiscal year 2026), the NSF funds approximately 25% of all federally supported basic research conducted by the United States' colleges and universities. In some fields, such as mathematics, computer science, economics, and the social sciences, the NSF is the major source of federal backing. NSF's director and deputy director are appointed by the president of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate, whereas the 24 president-appointed members of the National Science Board (NSB) do not require U.S. Senate confirmation. The director and deputy director are responsible for administration, planning, budgeting and day-to-day operations of the foundation, while the NSB meets six times a year to establish its overall policies.

Web Search Results

• National Science Foundation - Wikipedia

  The United States National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health. With an annual budget of about $8.75 billion (fiscal year 2026), the NSF funds approximately 25% of all federally supported basic research conducted by the United States' colleges and universities. In some fields, such as mathematics, computer science, economics, and the social sciences, the NSF is the major source of federal backing. [...] Some historians of science have argued that the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 was an unsatisfactory compromise between too many clashing visions of the purpose and scope of the federal government. The NSF was certainly not the primary government agency for the funding of basic science, as its supporters had originally envisioned in the aftermath of World War II. By 1950, support for major areas of research had already become dominated by specialized agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (medical research) and the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (nuclear and particle physics). That pattern would continue after 1957 when U.S. anxiety over the launch of Sputnik led to the creation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (space science) and the Defense [...] ## History [edit source] ### Founding [edit source] was established by the National Science Foundation Act of 1950. Its stated mission is "to promote the progress of science, to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare, and to secure the national defense". The NSF's scope has expanded over the years to include many areas that were not in its initial portfolio, including the social and behavioral sciences, engineering, and science and mathematics education. The NSF is the only U.S. federal agency with a mandate to support all non-medical fields of research. ### Budget and performance history [edit source]

• National Science Foundation | Performance.gov

  The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. The NSF Act of 1950 (Public Law 81-507) sets forth our mission: "To promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity and welfare; and to secure the national defense." The agency fulfills its mission mainly by issuing limited-term grants (currently about 11,000 new awards per year) to support research by individuals or small groups of investigators, research centers, and instruments and facilities that allow scientists, engineers and students to work at the outermost frontiers of knowledge. Awards are made for research that has been judged most promising by a thorough and objective merit review [...] ## Overview History In 1945, Vannevar Bush, head of the Office of Scientific Research and Development, wrote a landmark report, "Science--The Endless Frontier." The report stressed the importance of new scientific knowledge for the economic, social and military well-being of the nation, and that the federal government had the responsibility to see this through. The report recommended the establishment of a foundation to oversee federal funding for basic scientific research and the training of men and women in science. Bush also encouraged actively promoting the international exchange of scientific information. In 1950, Congress passed Public Law 81-507 creating the National Science Foundation (NSF) and NSF has been funding advances and discoveries in science ever since. [...] and some Foundation-wide programs have ACs composed of external experts. ACs not only review COV reports and examine directorate and office responses to COV recommendations, but they also provide advice on priorities and program effectiveness. Other Reviews and Evaluations: NSF pays careful attention to the advice offered in reports by the National Academies, national and international science organizations, professional societies, workshops, interagency working groups, advisory committees, and the National Science Board. NSF also employs a range of approaches to gain feedback on the efficiency and effectiveness of its systems and processes. Formal approaches include the testing of NSF systems against Federal standards such as those established by the Federal Information Security

• National Science Foundation (NSF) - Where discoveries begin

  The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is 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…" With an annual budget of more than $8 billion, NSF is the funding source for approximately 20 percent of all federally supported basic research conducted by America’s colleges and universities. In many fields, such as mathematics, computer science, and the social sciences, NSF is the major source of federal backing. NSF awards about 11,000 new awards per year, with an average duration of three years -- to fund specific research proposals that have been judged the most promising by a rigorous and objective merit-review system. In the past few decades, NSF-funded [...] both discovery and workforce development. Read more about NSF's impact on groundbreaking careers in STEM: . 📸: UC Berkeley Photo Services #NSFImpacts [Likes: 350, Comments: 1]; National Science Foundation (NSF) (1w): Established in the aftermath of World War II, the U.S. National Science Foundation emerged at a time when expertise in science, technology, engineering and mathematics was critical to economic prosperity, national security and technological leadership. Recognizing the need to cultivate future talent, NSF invested in K-12 science education nationwide, supporting researchers who, by the early 1960s, were developing new curricula for core subjects like natural sciences and mathematics that helped spark students' interest in STEM careers. Today, more than 36 million Americans [...] of the first Presidential AI Challenge. The U.S. National Science Foundation celebrates the NSF-supported teams that advanced to state, regional and national levels of the competition, including a national champion team partially funded by NSF and sponsored by North Carolina State University. The challenge brought together K-12 youth, educators, mentors and community partners from across the country to develop innovative artificial intelligence solutions for real-world challenges within their communities, showcasing their creativity, talent and problem-solving potential of the next generation of AI leaders. "The students and educators who took part in this challenge represent the future of American AI talent. By applying AI to address real-world problems in their communities, these teams

• National Science Foundation (NSF) | Grants.gov

  # NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION (NSF) ## Mission and Vision The National Science Foundation (NSF) is the only federal agency whose mission includes support for all fields of fundamental science and engineering, except for medical sciences. NSF is tasked with keeping the United States at the leading edge of discovery in areas from astronomy to geology to zoology. So, in addition to funding research in the traditional academic areas, the agency also supports "high-risk, high pay-off" ideas, novel collaborations and numerous projects that may seem like science fiction today, but which the public will take for granted tomorrow. ## Grant Program Highlights

• What does the National Science Foundation (NSF) do? | USAFacts

  About # What does the National Science Foundation (NSF) do? Refreshed annually The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent executive branch agency responsible for supporting science and engineering nationwide for the purpose of scientific progress, advancement of national health and welfare, and national security. The agency fulfills this objective primarily through making grants, funding approximately 25% of all federally supported research conducted by US colleges and universities. It was established in 1950. In FY 2024, $9.39B was spent by the National Science Foundation In FY 2024, 0.1% of federal spending was by the National Science Foundation ## How much does the National Science Foundation spend? [...] ## How much does the National Science Foundation spend? The National Science Foundation spent $9.39 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2024. This was 0.1% of the $6.78 trillion in overall federal spending. The department ranked 25th among federal agencies in total spending. ## The National Science Foundation accounted for 0.1% of all federal spending in FY 2024. Share of NSF net spending compared to the top ten highest spending agencies in FY 2024 Federal spending may shift over time due to population growth, changes in policy and programs, and emerging problems to address. Adjusting for inflation, the National Science Foundation’s federal spending has increased from $3.55 billion in 1980 to $9.39 billion in 2024. ### Get weekly insights [...] ## Who leads the National Science Foundation? The NSF is headed by a director, who is appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. The director serves for six years and is part of the NSF Executive Office of the Director team, which includes advisors and senior leadership. ## Keep exploring ## Methodology USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare. ## Page sources USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary. ### Office of Personnel Management

• Country

  United States

• Employees

  2,100

• Instance Of

  Q31855

• Headquarters

  Washington, D.C.

• Inception Date

  5/10/1950