NSF 15-600: Frontier Research in Earth Sciences
Closed
This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: Major Research Instrumentation Program: (MRI) (NSF 27-500). Status: Closes January 29, 2027 (83 days left). It is in our archive of U.S. National Science Foundation notices from 2025.
U.S. National Science Foundation offered grants of up to $3.0 million (at least $1.0 million) to any type of organization. It expected to make about 10 awards worth $9.0 million in total. It is no longer open on Grants.gov.
From the official notice on Grants.gov, last changed June 7, 2025. Checked November 7, 2026.
- Award ceiling$3.0 million
- Award floor$1.0 million
- Total funding$9.0 million
- Expected awards10
- Cost sharingNot required
- Funding typeGrant
Key dates
| Posted | June 6, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Archived by Grants.gov | June 7, 2025 |
Who can apply
This opportunity was open to any type of organization.
- Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility"
Is this a realistic fit?
- Past Geosciences awards averaged $710,829; this notice allows up to $3.0 million per award.
- Most of the program's money (71% over five years) went to colleges and universities.
- No cost sharing or match is required.
What the grant funds
Integrated Earth Systems (IES) is a program in the Division of Earth Sciences (EAR) that focuses on the continental, terrestrial and deep Earth subsystems of the whole Earth system. The overall goal of the program is to provide opportunity for collaborative, multidisciplinary research into the operation, dynamics and complexity of Earth systems at a budgetary scale between that of a typical project in the EAR Division's disciplinary programs and larger scale initiatives at the Directorate or Foundation level. Specifically, IES will provide research opportunities for the study of Earth systems that operate across components of the Earth encompassing the core of the Earth to the top of the critical zone with a specific focus on subsystems that include all or part of the continental, terrestrial and deep Earth subsystems at all temporal and spatial scales (NROES, 2012). IES will provide opportunities to focus on Earth systems connected to topics which include (but are not limited to) the continents; the terrestrial, surficial Earth systems including physical, chemical and biotic dimensions; linkages among tectonics, climate, landscape change, topography and geochemical cycles including core and mantle processes.
Who has won Geosciences grants before
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Geosciences (47.050) awarded $5.4 billion across 7,605 grant awards, an average of $710,829 per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| University Corporation for Atmospheric Research | Colorado | 78 | $725 million |
| Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution | Massachusetts | 288 | $627 million |
| Texas a & M Research Foundation | Texas | 3 | $287 million |
| University of California San Diego | California | 170 | $223 million |
| The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York | New York | 160 | $193 million |
Applying now
This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, NSF 27-500, which is open now.
The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.
Questions people ask
Is NSF 15-600 still open?
No. It is no longer open on Grants.gov. A newer notice is open: NSF 27-500, closes January 29, 2027 (83 days left).
Who can apply for Frontier Research in Earth Sciences?
U.S. National Science Foundation accepted applications from any type of organization.
What is the deadline for Frontier Research in Earth Sciences?
Closed. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.
How much funding is available?
Awards of up to $3.0 million each. About $9.0 million in total across about 10 awards.
Who has won Geosciences grants before?
The largest recipients over five fiscal years were University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Texas a & M Research Foundation. The program made 7,605 awards worth $5.4 billion in that time.